If there’s been one thing that COVID-19 is good for, it’s an influx of funding to tackle homelessness—kind of. It’s more like an influx of funding to make us feel temporarily better about not spreading a contagious virus among a population we’ve failed for decades.
Homeless advocates like Good Samaritan Shelter Executive Director Sylvia Barnard told the Sun that encampments are growing in Santa Barbara County and across the nation. Gina Fischer, who works for 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, said COVID-19 led to a noticeable increase in Isla Vista’s houseless population.
As it seems like nothing we’ve done over the last decade has put a dent in homeless populations in the county, how are we going to cope with that increase post-COVID-19? Most of the projects made possible with emergency COVID-19 funding from state and federal governments won’t last. They’re temporary, designed to house homeless populations for the duration of the pandemic’s hold on our society.
But, hey, maybe it could be forever! Yay!
SLO County spent money last spring on a successful parking program, which only ran for a couple of months because funding ran out. Paso Robles tried to put together a camp to keep trash and fires from spreading in the Salinas Riverbed—unsuccessful. In Santa Maria, a pop-up shelter was set up at Santa Maria High School, only possible because students were virtual learning instead of on campus. Very temporary.
Using CARES Act funding from the federal government, Santa Barbara County erected 20 pallet homes that could act as temporary shelters in Isla Vista, providing wrap-around services to try to get people employed and in more permanent housing situations. Such situations often require services like alcohol and drug abuse counseling, medical attention, or simply help acquiring identification documents. It cost about $1 million and will only last until June.
After that, good luck people! Government help is out!
By contrast, clearing out the Santa Ynez Riverbed in Lompoc in 2019 cost half a million. And guess what? Yep, temporary. Who would have thought? (Ooh, pick me!) Encampments are definitely back in the riverbed. What a waste!
But permanent solutions are an expensive proposition.
In Paso Robles, a group of nonprofits was able to use one-time funding from the state to turn a Motel 6 into supportive housing similar to what the pallet camp is trying to accomplish in Isla Vista. It cost $15 million-plus but at least it’s expected to stick around —well, as long as it finds the ongoing funds and staff it needs to keep the momentum up. Good luck!
“There’s a critical need for reliable ongoing funding to address the housing crisis,” Santa Barbara County Homeless Assistance Program Manager Kimberlee Alvers told the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors during a meeting about the second phase of the Community Action Plan to Address Homelessness.
But where does it come from? Ongoing funding has to come from the county. Grant funding is often temporary. Emergency relief funding is obviously meant to be a one-time cash influx.
If the county hopes to increase access to affordable housing and deliver support services, it needs to throw its own money at the problem. And it needs to take advantage of one-time funding to find more permanent solutions. Grant funding is only as good as the projects it funds.
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors: It’s time to step up.
The Canary is in a permanent state of agitation. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 4-11, 2021.
