Born and raised in Santa Barbara County, Alice Villarreal Redit has been working with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara for over twenty years, Jordan Killebrew, Santa Barbara Foundations Communications Manager, gets her perspective on housing affordability in Santa Barbara County.
Jordan: Why do you think housing affordability is a pressing issue in Santa Barbara County?
Alice: As we all know, California is in the middle of a severe and persistent housing crisis, and Santa Barbara is certainly feeling the impacts of this. With less than a 1 percent vacancy rate in South County, the availability of decent, safe, affordable housing is an issue that concerns our entire community. Often times, people of means aren’t able to secure adequate housing, which means that the impact of the housing crisis on our poor and working classes is even more significant. Homelessness is a critical issue within our community, and in the social services sector it’s not unusual to come across families living in their cars, disabled individuals living on the streets or seniors living in shelters. As a community, we can and must do better. It is important to remember that those struggling with housing don’t fall into some special category—they are our mothers and fathers, our neighbors and our friends.
Jordan: What is something that you want people to know about housing affordability in Santa Barbara County?
Alice: First of all, I think it’s important for people to recognize that affordable housing is a cross-sector issue. Public agencies alone cannot adequately address this crisis. Our agency remains highly committed and engaged in meeting the broad housing needs of our community and we consistently seek out unique approaches and collaborations for solving this issue. Our latest development, Grace Village, is a shining example of this. Grace Lutheran Church gifted their land to the Housing Authority and we’ve served as co-developer of this beautiful new property. Grace Village will soon be home to 57 low-income seniors and this development will have a lasting impact in our community.
Second, our work at the Housing Authority is about more than just housing. We are constantly at work to develop innovative, impactful programs and collaborations with a wide variety of community partners. Our services promote the principles of resiliency and self-sufficiency and encourage educational and career advancement. We want every client of the Housing Authority to think about upward mobility so that our limited resources are made available to as many households as possible. This can mean that a formerly homeless individual is one day able to move from service-intensive supportive housing to a private unit in the community. Likewise, many of our families are eventually able to relinquish their rental assistance and handle the cost of market-rate rent on their own, or better yet, purchase a home. We strive to deliver services that are client-centered and flexible so that families and individuals can find their unique path toward self-sufficiency.
Jordan: What impact would you say this issue has on our community at large?
Alice: The profound impacts of the housing imbalance in our community are evidenced in a number of ways. For one thing, studies have shown that living in a state of chronic homelessness can put an individual at increased risk for premature morbidity and mortality. Homelessness and poverty are interconnected and those who live in poverty are at a high risk of becoming homeless. Having a safe place to call home and a place to store one’s belongings is at the foundation of human dignity. It’s also really important that community members at least have the option to live near their work. When more people can live near their jobs, our community benefits in a variety of ways. Families, and therefore communities, are strengthened when parents have more time to spend with their children, and when community members are able to focus on education and develop their careers. Decreased commuting keeps dollars local, minimizing the impact on our environment and improving the quality of life within our community. One of the top priorities of the City’s General Plan is to encourage workforce and affordable housing in areas that are served by transit and close to jobs and services. This is a priority for our agency as well, and we strive to fill the gaps in the “missing middle” housing market.
Jordan: How can our community do better to address the issue of housing affordability?
Alice: Public will is essential in creating affordable housing. It’s important for people to recognize that affordable housing has so many positive ripple effects—not only in terms of enhancing our neighborhoods or improving the lives of families and seniors, but in terms of the economic benefits to our community. Our Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program alone brings $24 million into our local economy. Having private landlords in the community that are willing to participate in this program is tremendously important for the success of our clients and for this program. Inclusionary housing programs and incentives for private developers are also important strategies in balancing out natural market forces.
Jordan: How do you think your organization can better address the issue of housing affordability?
Alice: Supporting our clients’ upward mobility is essential not only for their own quality of life, but for the quality of life of our entire community. Our resources are finite, so we want our clients to view affordable housing as an opportunity for self-sufficiency whenever possible. Our agency works closely and collaboratively with a wide variety of public and nonprofit partners to address this issue. Our efforts would be much less effective without these strategic partnerships, and I’m proud to be part of an agency that recognizes the value of partnership and innovation. We continually respond to critical community issues with a sense of responsibility and a vision for the future.
Jordan: How do you think the Santa Barbara Foundation can better address the issue of housing affordability?
Alice: Developing affordable housing requires investments from multiple sources. Providing residual receipts loans or grants, to help fund acquisition costs is one way in which philanthropy can play a role in solving the affordable housing crisis. Santa Barbara Foundation already supports so many of the agencies that assist our clients and consistently works alongside stakeholders on issues impacting our entire county.
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