DignityNOW Capital Campaign aims to reduce homelessness in Santa Barbara County

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

On Monday, DignityMoves announced an ambitious plan to significantly reduce homelessness in Santa Barbara county. The DignityNOW Capital Campaign has already raised $10 million of the $19 million it seeks to support four new villages, including a development in Santa Maria. The county has partnered with DignityMoves to provide land and funding for social services for the villages.

DignityMoves is a unique program that offers a comprehensive range of services to the homeless, including housing, employment resources, medical and mental health care, and substance abuse support. The program is staffed by teams of highly trained professionals dedicated to helping the homeless in Santa Barbara County regain their dignity and rebuild their lives. Each DignityMoves resident has their own case manager.

“So far the success has been the village on Santa Barbara street which opened in July of 2022. It took about 90 days of outreach to find the original 34 residents,” said Jack Lorenz, regional advancement director for DignityMoves Santa Barbara County. “The results have exceeded my expectations, and I have been doing this for a long time. Of the 34 residents that came in: eight have become employed, nine have transitioned to more permanent stable housing, eight are employment ready and three people are going to school. So far we have served 54 at Santa Barbara street and twenty have transitioned out to stable housing.”

Homelessness is a devastating issue that affects millions of people nationwide. In Santa Barbara county alone, over the course of a year, approximately 3,500 people will experience homelessness. DignityMoves

Interim Supportive Housing Communities are places where people can come in from encampments along the freeways, riverbeds and streets to stabilize and begin a path toward healing and self-sufficiency. Each resident has their own private room with a door that locks, AC/heat, a desk, Wi-Fi, onsite bathrooms and showers, laundry facilities and three meals a day. Residents can also bring their belongings, partners, and pets.

“Potential residents are not required to be clean and sober, but they do have to agree to the community rules which includes no visitors, no violence, no weapons and no drugs.

Residents also have to agree to creating an exit plan with a case manager. We try to transition everyone out within six to twelve months. We try to keep sites that we build within where the folks were living. We don’t want to take them out of their community and where they are familiar with,” said Mr. Lorenz.

One of the more significant advantages of the DignityMoves model is its mobility. By taking services directly to those in need, the program can reach individuals who might otherwise be unable or unwilling to access traditional congregate shelters and support services. This approach has proven highly effective, with DignityMoves achieving an impressive success rate in connecting individuals with housing, health care and employment.

The second property, Hope Village in Santa Maria, is currently in development and will have 94 rooms.

“The Santa Maria location will be breaking ground in the next ten days … Of the 94-unit location, 30 units will be for respite care for those exiting hospital and ten of those will have restrooms in them. Ten units will be for transitional-age youth who are transitioning out of foster care. Another ten units will be for veterans. The remaining 44 units will be for singles and couples. We are doing our best to accommodate the needs of the population,” said Mr. Lorenz. “DignityMoves’ first three locations are a 70-unit location in San Francisco, a 60unit location in Rohnert Park and a 47-unit location in Alameda. Santa Maria is the first of an additional 300 units we will be building in Santa Barbara county. We have three more targeted sites, we are just waiting on a vote of approval from the board of supervisors,” said Mr. Lorenz. email: kzehnder@newspress.com

“I think the most important thing is that intensive case management services is the secret to the success of these sites,” added Mr. Lorenz.

Good Samaritan Shelter plays a critical role in the Santa Barbara Street Village as they provide on-site case management, connect clients to other local resources including mental health care, addiction services, SSI and other benefits, help with job placements and work to help clients find their way back to stable housing. Other partners include Dignity Health, SB ACT, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, County of Santa Barbara Public Health, County of Santa Barbara Behavioral Health, and the County of Santa Barbara Public Defender’s Office.

As a demonstration of community support, DignityMoves offers naming and sponsorship opportunities at each of the organization’s sites. Rooms available for “naming” include kitchen/dining areas, office spaces, computer labs, outdoor patios and gardens. These sponsorships typically range from $10,000-$1,000,000 and include a permanent plaque with your name/group name and acknowledgement at events and DignityMoves literature.

Contact Jack Lorenz at (310) 266-0502 or Jack@DignityMoves.org for any sponsorship or support-related questions or visit https:// dignitymoves.org/donate/.