A new interim housing community is now planned for Santa Maria. Community members attended an informational meeting last week to learn about the county's plans to create the temporary housing development called Hope Village.
“It will consist of 90-plus units. The concept is that it’s a non-congregate shelter so every individual coming in will have their own unit,” Sylvia Barnard said.
Barnard is with Good Samaritan Shelter, one of the partnering agencies that hosted the event. Good Samaritan will provide onsite staff and supportive services for Hope Village which will be located on county land near the county administration buildings on East Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria.
“It’s centrally located right by all of the social services, so probation, Department of Social Services, and the Public Health Department are all here within the same community, the same complex,” Barnard said.
Good Samaritan also manages the interim housing village now operating in downtown Santa Barbara. Barnard said, like the one in Santa Barbara, Hope Village will have 24-hour security and on-site staff. She said residents receive housing by referral only – it’s not a drop-in shelter – and case managers are assigned to address any mental health or substance-related issues. She said the goal is to move the residents from Hope Village into more permanent housing as it becomes available.
Kimberlee Albers, homeless assistance program manager for the county, says the success of the Santa Barbara location has created a model for other areas in need of interim housing.
“Like Santa Barbara and other areas of the county, there’s still a large unsheltered population here in Santa Maria,” she said.
DignityMoves is the non-profit organization partnering with the county to design the portable villages. Founder Elizabeth Funk said interim housing gets people off the streets and connected to important services. She said Hope Village is for unhoused people already living in the Santa Maria Valley.
“One of the concerns people have about shelters is they’re worried that they are importing and attracting homeless, but this is going to be for people who are already there, so it’s that neighborhood that gets to see the visible, measurable difference, so it’s a benefit in that way," Funk said.
Hope Village is slated to open by this summer. The proposed village is temporary and will likely move to a different site within 5 years.
The project is a partnership with the County of Santa Barbara, DignityMoves, Marian Regional Medical Center, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, and Good Samaritan Shelter.
You can find more information and see the design plans by going to dignitymoves.org or by contacting the County of Santa Barbara.
