Services for the homeless on Santa Barbara’s Eastside are set to come to an end Dec. 31.
PATH, which has run the shelter since 2015, will cease operations at 815 Cacique St.
“After over a decade of serving the Santa Barbara community, PATH is ramping down our shelter services,” said Tyler Renner, senior director of communications. “We remain committed to ending homelessness for individuals, families and communities.”
The City of Santa Barbara has put out a request for qualifications to find an organization to run the site so that service is not interrupted. The city is also in the process of acquiring the property, which is scheduled to be on the City Council agenda on Dec. 9.
The council also must at some point go before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors because the existing covenant restricts the sale of the property only to a nonprofit shelter provider.
“We’ve been working closely with them, so we anticipate support for that exception,” said Barbara Andersen, assistant city administrator.
The county board vote also is set for December.
An evaluation committee plans to review the proposals that come in to run the shelter. Representatives from the county, Be Well, Cottage Health and the City of Goleta, which all have contracts for beds with PATH, will review and score the proposals. The City Council is set to vote to select a new provider on Nov. 18.
“We’re working swiftly to have a thoughtful transition between PATH and an interim service provider to ensure the continuity of care for clients and to keep the shelter operational, especially during the winter months,” Andersen said.
The new contract will be for an interim provider, and a long-term service provider is expected to be selected in June.
Renner said that since PATH took over in 2015, it has “served thousands of individuals and ended homelessness for nearly 700 people.”
According to the annual Point in Time Count, about 1,000 people in Santa Barbara currently experience homelessness.
“PATH has supported some of our most vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness,” Renner said. “Our services have included outreach, shelter, hot meals, case management and housing navigation.”
Renner said that despite the program’s success, “economic conditions and policy decisions” have resulted in PATH running a deficit.
“Without adequate public funding for the services we provide, it has become increasingly challenging to sustain operations,” Renner said.
The city is planning to have a new provider in December so that clients are not impacted.