Santa Barbara County residents are invited to comment on local housing and community development needs at community meetings and by taking the Community Needs Survey.
Santa Barbara County, along with the cities of Goleta, Buellton, Carpinteria, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang are in the process of developing their 5-Year Consolidated Plan.
The plans will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Funding from HUD is contingent on this plan.
Because comments and suggestions from the community are important to the process, several meetings will be held throughout the county to hear from residents what the high-priority housing and community development needs are where they live.
To attend one of the following meetings, register at www.countyofsb.org/494/Housing-Community-Development.
Monday, Oct. 21
• Carpinteria: noon-1 p.m. | Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave.
• Goleta: 6-7 p.m. | Goleta Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave.
Wednesday, Oct. 23
• Lompoc: 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Grossman Gallery in the Public Library, 501 E. North Ave.
• Buellton: 2-3 p.m. | Buellton Rec Center at Jonata Middle Schoolm 301 2nd St.
• Santa Maria: 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Shepard Hall in the Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St.
To continue receiving HUD funds, jurisdictions must prepare a five-year Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.
Consolidated Plan: Identifies the County and cities’ housing and community development needs and how program funds will be spent over a five-year period.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI): Identifies and addresses barriers to housing for protected classes.
Fill out the survey by Oct. 31 at https://bit.ly/SantaBarbaraCoResident.