‘An alternative to encampments or group shelters’

and gets them out of survival mode. It is a measurable and visible impact.

“Most people offered a bed in a group shelter won’t go,” she said.

“Nobody has turned this down.

It gives us a chance to help them resolve underlying issues.”

The housing is designed to be temporary while the individuals make steps to become selfsufficient again.

“It really takes awhile to get into permanent housing,” Ms. Funk said. “You have to have legal identification ready.

“This is an alternative to encampments or group shelters,” she said. “It’s pet friendly.

“Tenants work with a case manager on the next steps for them. It’s an interim stage,” said Ms. Funk. “This is community living.

“Imagine a college dorm room: 64 square feet for individuals; 94 square feet for couples,” she said.

“Rooms include: a bed, a desk, a window and heating and air conditioning, with high ceilings.

There is a shared laundry, bathroom, dining, kitchen, computer lab and outdoor deck.

“Volunteers can ‘adopt a room’ and bring bedding, artwork and a welcome basket,” said Ms. Funk.

On Jan. 25, DignityMoves announced the launch of DignityNOW Santa Barbara County, an initiative to create sufficient interim housing for everyone experiencing unsheltered homelessness across Santa Barbara County.

The 2018 Santa Barbara County Community Action Plan to End Homelessness identified the need for an additional 563 interim shelter beds across the county.

Three years later, the 2021 status report showed progress towards that goal, but 432 beds are still needed. Around that time, Santa Barbara County began talking with DignityMoves about how its innovative model might accelerate progress towards that goal.

“Super kudos to Santa Barbara County for being ambitious and saying that we are just going to do it,” Ms. Funk said. “I’m super impressed to see the county say ‘let’s just do the whole thing.’”

The next DignityNow community in Santa Maria is already under way and is slated to be completed by August. Hope Village will have 94 rooms including 11 transitional youth, and 30 will be designated for the hospital system. Ten of those 30 rooms will have private bathrooms. More communities are coming, but locations have not yet been announced.

“The project is paid two-thirds by philanthropy and one-third by the county for the construction,” Ms. Funk said. “The units are constructed on county or privately owned land so we can set up on vacant parking lots on an interim basis, so we don’t have to purchase land.” She said DignityMoves can build to FEMA/emergency building codes, which isn’t daunting for philanthropists who want to help.

“The ongoing support of services is supported by the county,” Ms. Funk said. “For the project in Santa Maria, one of the significant donors will be Dignity Health.

“The cost of homelessness is about $60,000 per person per year. Hospitals have an incentive to be a part of that solution because about half of the cost of homelessness is medical related. Solving the homelessness issue is a lot less expensive than not solving it.”

The News-Press asked Ms. Funk about those who are homeless by choice and how to keep tenants from abusing the system.

“I think it is a very small percentage,” she said. “They prefer it over a group shelter and over the loss of independence. They prefer it over sleeping next to a stranger on a cot.

“When people first become homeless, they usually don’t have a drug or mental health problem. It’s the trauma of living on the streets for so long that leads to these issues,” Ms. Funk said.

“The longer they are on the streets, the less likely they will return to self sufficiency,” she said.

Residents in a DignityMoves village are required to work with a case manager on identifying their life goals.

“People don’t get to stay forever,” she said. “You have a limited period of time, until you get transferred somewhere where there are less benefits. Time limits range between six months to two years.

“I think the biggest thing is people are always worried about safety,” Ms. Funk said. “Would you rather that person be in a safe bed with meals, case managers, and 24/7 staffing or out on the street hungry and desperate?

“Our 24/7 staff is trained in conflict de-escalation and has a close relationship with the police. These are staff that know the tenants. Some locations have actual security, depending on location.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Analyst

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SHERIFF’S SALE UNDER FORECLOSURE (CCP 716.020)

LevyingOfficerFileNo. 22-2158 CaseNo.15CV00368

UNDERAWRITOFSALEissuedoutoftheSantaBarbaraCountySuperiorCourt,SantaBarbara Division,CountyofSantaBarbara,StateofCaliforniaonJuly7,2022,onajudgmentrendered February22,2017. INFAVOROFPayneGreenc/oMartinCohn,5290OverpassRd.,Bldg.C,SantaBarbara,CA93111 ANDAGAINSTRoseMarieAldanaakaRosaArredondo,10S.AlisosSt.,SantaBarbara,CA93103 Forthesumof$318,529.80Dollars; IHAVELEVIEDuponalltheright,titleclaimandinterestinthedebtor(s)RoseMarieAldanaaka RosaArredondo,intherealproperty,intheCountyofSantaBarbara,describedasfollows: THELANDREFERREDTOHEREINBELOWISSITUATEDINTHECITYOFSANTABARBARA, COUNTYOFSANTABARBARA,STATEOFCALIFORNIA,ANDISDESCRIBEDASFOLLOWS: ThatportionoftheBlock330intheCityofSantaBarbara,CountyofSantaBarbara,Stateof California,describedasfollows:

BeginningatapointontheSouthwesterlylineofAlisosStreet,distantthereon100feetSoutheasterly fromthemostNortherlycornerofsaidBlock;runningthencealongsaidlineSoutheasterly50feet; thenceatrightanglesSouthwesterly150feet;thenceatrightanglesNorthwesterly50feet;thence atrightanglesNortheasterly150feettothepointofbeginning.

APN:017-171-07

Minimum Bid: $335,195.46

“ProspectivebiddersshouldrefertoSections701.510to701.680,inclusive,oftheCodeofCivil Procedureforprovisionsgoverningtheterms,conditions,andeffectofthesaleandtheliabilityof defaultingbidders.”(CCP701.547)

PUBLICNOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthatIwillproceedtosellatpublicauctiontothehighest bidderforcashinlawfulmoneyoftheUnitedStatesalltheright,title,claimandinterestofthe debtor(s)intheabovedescribedpropertyorsomuchaswillbesufficienttosatisfysaidWritwith interestandallcostsonFebruary21,2023,atten o’clockAM,attheSheriff’sCivilUnit,1105Santa BarbaraStreet,SantaBarbara,California,93101 DatedatSantaBarbara,CaliforniaonJanuary26,2023.

Creditor’s Attorney: BILLBROWN,SHERIFF

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