This grant will assist 300 individuals to move from street-level homelessness to permanent supportive housing by helping to pay for part-time staff to operate Neighborhood Navigation Centers.

Homelessness is a complex social problem. SB ACT (Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation) takes a collaborative and comprehensive approach to this persistent issue by coordinating the delivery of services of more than 25 local agencies at Neighborhood Navigation Centers where homeless people gather. This grant will fund a site supervisor, service coordinator, case manager, and mobile library services operator. 

In a 2021 pilot project, SB ACT created the Neighborhood Navigation Centers to allow agencies to provide multiple services at a single location. The centers provide convenient access to food, health care, mental health support, hygiene facilities, and pet care. The mobile library provides computers, and internet access to streamline efforts to house individuals and provide supportive services to those living on the street.

During the first year of the pilot program, 120 people without homes moved into some form of housing and continue to receive the support necessary to remain housed. This Women’s Fund grant will match a $100,000 grant from the City of Santa Barbara for the second year of the pilot program.