In contrast to other California cities, seaside Santa Barbara is successfully reducing its homeless population. Local advocates cite a tight-knit network of service providers.
With a population of 90,000, Santa Barbara isn't one of California's largest urban areas. But its anti-homelessness efforts might prove instructive: "the 2017 [homeless] count revealed that at least 790 homeless people reside in Santa Barbara, down from 1,040 in 2011." Kate Wheeling covers the city's strategy, which involves coordinating a network of service providers through a central organization, the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H).
According to C3H executive director Chuck Flacks, the solution to homelessness isn't a mystery. "It's really about getting to know each of the people on the street, getting to know their needs, getting them into housing, and getting them the services they need to keep them housed."
"'Homeless people are more like a canary in a coal mine,' Flacks said. 'The homeless population tends to reflect some of the things that are broken in a system … mental health, alcohol and drug problems, and lack of housing.'"
FULL STORY: How One Small Town Is Turning a Corner on a Big Homeless Crisis
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City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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