City Outlines New Homeless Plan After Scrapping ‘Tiny Home’ Idea

Now that the controversial 40 “Tiny Home” emergency homeless shelter development proposed for the commuter parking lot at Carrillo and Castillo streets has been yanked from consideration, the powers-that-be are seeking to cobble together a scaled back project that will cost significantly less than the original but will provide some of the same services, though without providing any new housing.

Using emergency state funds focusing on the most vulnerable and chronically homeless, the City of Santa Barbara is proposing to spend $2 million over the next 30 months; of that, Cottage Health will get $717,000, the Santa Barbara Police Department will get $410,000, and an Orange County-based street outreach nonprofit known as CityNet will get $873,000.

Cottage will be paid to provide one nurse practitioner who will accompany a police officer assigned to the “restorative” homeless detail. Together they will make their rounds, targeting individuals who frequently take up time and space in the County Jail and in Cottage’s emergency rooms. In addition, Cottage will be reimbursed for the services of a staff “site navigator,” who helps connect such individuals to existing services.