A new interim housing community for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Santa Maria Valley is opening next week. The goal is to transition people into permanent housing.
Hope Village is a 94 room interim housing community with portable cabins that are similar to dorm rooms with shared restrooms, laundry, and meals.
Kirstin Cahoon is the director of homeless services for Good Samaritan Shelter – they oversee the project. She said everyone at Hope Village is assigned a case worker as they begin the process to rebuild their lives.
“Our goal is to move every single client that’s in here out into permanent housing within 8-12 months,” she said.
Cahoon said Hope Village is for people from the Santa Maria Valley that have been living on the streets or in encampments.
“It’s really been focused on the folks that have been living right around here within the first like mile or two-mile radius,” she said.
The village is located on county land near the Betteravia Government Center. Of the 94 rooms, Cahoon said some are set aside for specific needs for young adults aging out of foster care, veterans, and people recovering from hospital emergencies.
“Thirty of them are dedicated to recuperative care and those are being referred in by Dignity Health’s outreach workers,” she said.
County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said some local residents and businesses have expressed concerns about such a large project. Lavagnino’s office is across the street from Hope Village, and he said it’s a top priority for the project to be a good neighbor.
“I’m looking out on this, and I’m going to see if there’s a problem, and if there is a problem, we’re going to address it immediately,” he said.
Hope Village was built by Dignity Moves. Dignity Moves also worked with the county on a similar interim housing village in downtown Santa Barbara.
