Santa Barbara County and Goleta Commit to Local Match for $16 Million State Homekey Supportive Housing Grant

Today, January 11, the County Board of Supervisors approved local capital matching funds in order for the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara to apply for a $16 million state Homekey grant to provide permanent supportive housing for persons who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. The funds would be used to purchase the Super 8 hotel located at 6021 Hollister Avenue in Goleta. On January 5, the Goleta City Council approved $600,000 in funds toward the project’s local capital match.

If the application for approximately $16,097,500 in Homekey grant funds is awarded, the County will contribute $3,047,501 in matching funds for capital costs. The Board’s action today authorizes the County’s Community Services Department Housing Division to submit documents to the state in order to support the Housing Authority’s Homekey 2.0 application for funding.

Second District County Supervisor Gregg Hart said, “Identifying sites for permanent supportive housing can be a long and challenging process. Thanks to the dedication of the County of Santa Barbara, City of Goleta, and Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County, our community is making progress toward our goal of increasing safe and supportive housing resources for people experiencing homelessness. This project will change the lives of the individuals who are provided with housing and services, while also improving the quality of life for our entire community.”

Goleta City Mayor Paula Perotte added, “The City of Goleta is pleased to partner with Santa Barbara County and the County Housing Authority in this major step to address homelessness among our residents. I am especially pleased that preference for this housing will be for Goleta residents and veterans.”

The City’s contribution of $600,000 is from, but not limited to, its 2021 ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) allocation to the project. The City’s funding reservation for a local capital match is contingent on an award of Homekey 2.0 funding.

The County’s funds would consist of $1,500,000 of the ARPA funds previously set aside by the Board on October 19, 2021; $1,015,191 in supplemental HOME Investment Partnership Program funds made available by the American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) approved by the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara HOME Consortium on December 17, 2021; and an additional $532,309 in County ARPA or Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP) funds.

The 60-unit housing project would be owned and managed by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara. State HCD Homekey funds would be awarded directly to the Housing Authority. The Housing Authority must provide reasonable assurance to the state of matching contributions to cover operations and service costs for five years. The estimated cost of annual operations and services is $992,698. The Homekey application would provide an estimated $950,400 in operations funding per year for two years. The remaining operations and service costs for the first five years will be funded with tenant and Section 8 rents.  

ABOUT CALIFORNIA HOMEKEY
Homekey is a California program to purchase and rehabilitate housing, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties, and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

ABOUT CITY OF GOLETA
The City of Goleta was incorporated in 2002 and is home to approximately 32,000 people and thousands of businesses. Known as the Good Land, the City of Goleta expands eight square miles nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and Pacific Ocean, offering unparalleled scenic beauty.  Goleta prides itself on its 550 acres of parks and open space making it the perfect spot to live, work and play. The City is a General Law City governed by a five-member, elected city council. For more information about Goleta, go to www.cityofgoleta.org.

ABOUT COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION
Housing and Community Development is a division of the County of Santa Barbara Community Services Department that utilizes federal, state, and local funding to provide a variety of public service programs and public facility projects including Affordable Housing, Grants Administration, and Redevelopment Successor Agency Housing Fund activities. For information about the County Housing and Community Development Division of the Community Services Department, go to www.countyofsb.org/housing.