DignityMoves — which installed and opened the temporary housing community in downtown Santa Barbara at 1016 Santa Barbara St. last August in collaboration with Santa Barbara County and the Good Samaritan Shelter — is planning to install another temporary, interim housing community at the former La Posada Juvenile Hall site with 90 modular units.
Located at 4500 Hollister Ave. in Santa Barbara, the interim supportive housing project will consist of 68 single rooms, 12 doubles and 10 ADA singles for a total of 90 prefabricated units that are assembled on site. The cabins are “extremely durable,” a staff report said, constructed from steel frames and 2-inch-thick walls made with fire-resistant composite materials.
According to a staff report and Community Services Department letter for the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, each room will have a bed, a desk, heating and air conditioning, a window, lights and electrical outlets, and “most importantly, a door that locks.”
Along with the 90 rooms for people experiencing homelessness in southern Santa Barbara County, the DignityMoves La Posada interim supportive housing community also will include office space, clinic and case management space, laundry units, showers and restrooms, and two dining units for residents.
Some of the supportive services that will be included and available to people staying in the units include housing navigation, medical support, public health nurse visits, meals, and overnight shelter.
The project went before the county Planning Commission on Wednesday for determination of conformity with the county’s General Plan. The staff report said the ground lease will provide a term of five years, with options for two extensions of six months each.
“[The downtown Santa Barbara DignityMoves site] has been well received by the City Council of Santa Barbara, very much attention paid to the quality of life of the residents who have been fortunate to be placed in this location. I’m particularly impressed with all of the services available to residents,” Commissioner Michael Cooney said. “This would be the third [DignityMoves location in Santa Barbara County], the second in the South Coast and from my standpoint, it has high hope for success in dealing with the homeless population.”
In addition to the downtown Santa Barbara site and the upcoming La Posada interim housing community, DignityMoves held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for Hope Village Santa Maria, a 94-room DignityMoves interim housing community operated by Good Samaritan Shelter and located at 511 Lakeside Pkwy. in Santa Maria.
The units at the Santa Maria “village” will be broken down to provide services for and support four populations in North County — 10 rooms for Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, specializing in the needs of transitional-age youths between 18 and 24 years old; 30 rooms providing recuperative care for homeless individuals, in a partnership with Marian Regional Medical Center; 10 rooms for veterans; and the remaining 44 units for unsheltered individuals and couples.
DignityMoves said it anticipates Hope Village Santa Maria to open for residents by August.
