Looking for Sleeping Bags, Blankets, Socks, Sweaters, and More for Santa Barbara County’s Homeless Population

It’s not exactly Bob Dylan singing, “Now the wintertime is coming / The windows are filled with frost / I went to tell everybody / but I could not get across” — with all due apologies to his hit “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” — but for the Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Office, it’s the next best thing. As part of its restorative approach to defending those accused of crimes of poverty, the Public Defender is launching its now annual collection drive for sleeping bags, blankets, backpacks, shoes, socks, sweaters, jackets, hygiene products, and anything to keep people warm and dry.

County Public Information Officer Kelsey Buttitta specified that new or slightly used items are being sought and that those inclined to donate can drop off their donations Monday through Friday — from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. — at the Public Defender’s Office located in downtown Santa Barbara at 1100 Anacapa Street. For those seeking more information, call (805) 568-3470. In Santa Maria, the address is 312-P East Cook Street in Building A. The phone number is (805) 346-7500. 

Donated items will be laid out in the lawn in front of the courthouse — not the Sunken Garden, but the lawn by the famous sandstone fountain — on December 15. Outreach workers will be spreading the word to people staying in shelters, encampments, vehicles, parks, underpasses, or vacant storefronts. 

As November transitions into December, temperatures are expected to drop and the chances of rain to increase inversely. Based on the most recent federally mandated Point-in-Time Count, Santa Barbara County has 1,850 people living somewhere other than a traditional home.