PATH’s Home Tour Is a Complete Delight
Event Is Fundraiser for Housing the Homeless
On June 10, PATH Santa Barbara held its inaugural Making It Home Tour, which featured four spectacular Santa Barbara residences. The 204 guests were transported by historic trolleys between these idyllic abodes, enjoyed wine and food pairings at every stop, and ended the day with a festive party at Cabana Home.
PATH, which merged with Casa Esperanza in July 2015, has an interim housing facility off Milpas Street. It provides a full range of services there to sober, homeless individuals to improve their health, increase their income, and transition them to stable housing. It also offers a Winter Shelter Program there.
The tour was a pure delight from start to finish. Guests were greeted on board the trolleys by PATH staff members and volunteers and promptly served bubbly and snacks while hearing about the homes on tour. Between stops, our guide, Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Hark-Dietz, also gave us an overview of PATH and answered our questions.
Dan and Meg Burnham opened their fabulous “Top of the G” residence, a 4000-square-foot, two-story penthouse in the Granada Tower. Arriving by elevator directly into the palatial residence, guests toured at their leisure, enjoying the 360-degree views. Alan and Anne Sides shared their magnificently furnished 18,000-square-foot Spanish Revival Granholm Estate off Summit Road. Guests received a fascinating guided tour of this home, which was formerly the Brooks Institute of Photography.
Nina Terzian warmly welcomed each guest into her idyllic Sandcastle on Miramar waterfront estate. There were stunning ocean views from every room and a coral reef succulent garden gracing the hillside. Johnny and Jodi Goldberg similarly extended a warm, personal greeting to everyone soaking up the ambience of Shangri-La, their Bali-inspired piece of Montecito paradise.
Back on the trolley, Hark-Dietz explained how PATH has a federally funded veterans employment program and a county funded general employment program. PATH offers comprehensive case management, connects residents with community resources, and provides cash assistance for rental deposits. In short, PATH seeks to provide whatever is necessary to get its residents into permanent housing.
At the after-party at Cabana Home, guests were greeted by PATH CEO Joel John Roberts, who emphasized how PATH is not about transitional housing, but rather about helping people get off the streets and into their own home. While only the privileged few get to live in one of the extravagant homes on the tour, PATH believes everyone deserves a home.
PATH has 60 beds in its Homeless to Housing Programs, 20 beds under contract with Cottage Hospital for respite care, 20 beds under contract with the Department of Behavioral Wellness, and 100 beds in its Winter Shelter Program. It remains at full capacity most of the time for all programs. For the Housing to Homeless Programs, the average wait time is less than three weeks and the average stay is six months. While PATH’s goal is to get residents housed within six months, there is no time limit on remaining in the program.
Since the July 2015 merger, PATH Santa Barbara has served 672 individuals in the Winter Shelter Program and 741 in its other programs. It has helped 187 individuals move into permanent homes.
About 80 percent of the funding for the Santa Barbara operations comes from government sources. Donations are needed to cover the remainder and to expand the critical services it provides here. All donations to PATH Santa Barbara go to this location. Santa Barbara has about 200 volunteers assisting each month and volunteers are always needed.
PATH was formed 33 years ago by a coalition of churches and temples in Westside Los Angeles. It now operates throughout California with hubs in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Santa Barbara. For more information about PATH, go to site.epath.org/site/PATHSantaBarbara/home.html.
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