A Snapshot of People Experiencing Homelessness in Santa Barbara

Last week, Santa Barbara Independent Executive Editor Nick Welsh and I ventured onto the streets of Santa Barbara in search of people experiencing homelessness for the county’s annual Point-in-Time Count (PIT). 

This year, more than 400 people volunteered for the count, a census that aims to paint a picture of the state of homelessness across Santa Barbara County so officials can make informed decisions, such as where to provide services and what resources may be needed in different communities. 

Last year, 442 units of permanent housing were secured and 158 interim beds were added throughout the county. However, hundreds of units and beds are still needed to address homelessness countywide.

Community input and data from the PIT Count this year will help inform the county’s distribution of Round 5 funding from California’s Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP), a $1 billion state grant that provides local jurisdictions with “flexible funding to address homelessness in their communities.”

During a January 31 community webinar on homelessness, participants voted how they would like to see the county spend its approximately $2.6 million in HHAP funding this year. “Permanent housing and innovative housing solutions” was by and large the audience favorite.

As pointed out during the meeting, housing people ends up costing far less than leaving them unhoused, and it can save the county up to $20,000 per person annually.

A Point in Time

The 2024 Point-in-Time Count started at 5:30 on the cold morning of Wednesday, January 24. Waking up early was not a problem for Nick, whose circadian rhythm eludes me, but I had to drag myself out of bed. I still had sleep in my eyes, but I was ready to count. 

Nick and I were paired with people from PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) — one of five homeless shelters in Santa Barbara — to survey the unhoused people in our assigned area, stretching from Milpas to the Wharf along Cabrillo Boulevard. 

PATH Regional Director Liz Adams, Nick, and I took the beach side, while our other group members, a woman named Debbie and PATH outreach specialist Odin Dailo, took the city side. 

As we got started, the only thing worthy of note was the gorgeous sunrise over the ocean. Fiery hues emerged from the sea and spread out behind the mountains, contrasted by a light blue morning sky, cotton-candy-pink clouds, and silhouettes of palm trees.

Each one of us stopped to take pictures of the scene. I mean, we had time. Other than us Point-in-Time counters and some early-morning joggers, the area looked virtually empty for the first half hour or so.

To the surprise of Nick and me, we walked about a quarter mile before spotting a single soul sleeping outside. In total, we only counted about six or seven people, most of whom were around Chase Palm Park.

If people were awake and willing, we used an app to survey where they slept the night before, their demographics, their experience with homelessness, and their mental and physical health. 

Afterward, we gave them a McDonald’s gift card or a hygiene kit and asked if they wanted an outreach worker to follow up with them. Liz would tell them about beds available at PATH and encourage them to go to the shelter, where they have “delicious food,” or so she’s been told. 

We met many sweet people that day, each with their own stories and good conversations.

Most of the people we spoke to didn’t become homeless in Santa Barbara but were drawn here one way or another, whether it be family ties, old grudges, good weather, or something in between. Most had been homeless for longer than six months. Most were alone. And everyone we spoke to said they did not have a substance-abuse disorder, although one man did admit he occasionally uses cannabis, as well as meth when he “has the money.” 

In the end, Nick and I were appreciative of the effort volunteers put into the count every year. But we questioned the accuracy of it. Some people, understandably, did not want to talk to us. One man did not speak English, so we could not confirm if he slept outside the night prior. Another waved us off as we approached his van. At other times, we’d see the telltale signs of someone having spent the night outside with no one around to claim it.

We also went in expecting to encounter more people experiencing homelessness than we saw that day. But at the same time, last year’s count totaled 1,887 unhoused people throughout the county. That’s less than the number of seats in the Arlington Theatre. 

While more people are experiencing homelessness, the number of people transitioning out of homelessness increases each year, according to county officials. Last year, the county saw roughly 1,100 people transition out of homelessness. 

The numbers for this year’s Point-in-Time Count have yet to be released, but the complete report will be available in the spring.

If nothing else, it got Nick Welsh off the phone and out of the office.