Local
August 27, 2006
By Kimberly Pohas, News-Press Staff Writer
kpohas@newspress.com
A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN
Some of Santa Barbara's homeless will move into cozy new residences next month, thanks to the city's Housing Authority, which built the studio apartments, and volunteers who spent Saturday decorating them.
By the end of the day, each studio at 315 W. Carrillo St. was unique -- the 60 volunteers had been told to decorate the rooms as they might their own, but using donated linens, bedding, lamps and art. The apartments are much bigger than the typical college dormitory.
"Most people are coming here with a plastic bag," said Barbara Allen, commissioner on the board of Santa Barbara's Housing Authority, which sponsored the day of decorating. "They have nothing."
Sixty-one homeless and low-income men and women of varying ages will begin moving into El Carrillo Studios complex starting Sept. 15.
Rent for the residents will be set to a proportion of their monthly incomes -- 30 percent -- and a subsidy program will assist those without jobs. The new tenants, local residents who are homeless or at risk, will be selected by the Housing Authority. |
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"This is the most vulnerable population in Santa Barbara ," Mrs. Allen said, adding that the complex fills a long-standing community need. "There were shelters but there was no 'next-level' (housing)."
The project was developed by the Housing Authority and businesses, both cognizant of the need for stable housing among Santa Barbara's homeless.
Residents will be allowed to stay as long as they want, but the goal is to encourage them to move up the socioeconomic ladder, said Rob Fredericks, the Housing Authority's director of administrative services.
"They won't have to worry about the basic necessities of life," he said.
The residents also will have access to support services, including on-site mental health care, substance-abuse counseling and vocational training. A program room with computers and conference tables -- the "Room of Peace" -- will be available for public meetings.
"We want to make sure that the residents -- when they move in -- have dignity," Mr. Fredericks said.
Construction and furnishing of the complex was financed by several sources and included redevelopment agency funds, donations from local foundations, and the generosity of private individuals like Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, a philanthropist who really "stepped up to the plate," Mrs. Allen said.
The first residential complex of its kind in Santa Barbara County , El Carrillo Studios reflects the Spanish-style architecture popular in the city. Prior to construction, architects interviewed homeless people to find out their needs, according to Skip Szymanski, the Housing Authority's CEO.
"If you give them something nice they can be proud of, they'll want to take care of it," Mr. Szymanski said.
Saturday was also a day of community spirit elsewhere in Santa Barbara . While volunteers at El Carrillo worked to decorate the new residential neighborhood, more than 500 people helped restore the lower Eastside, rolling up their sleeves to clean trash and graffiti and plant vegetation in three park areas between Salinas and Milpas streets. |
