Agencies’ collaboration through SB Connect Home project yields positive outcomes for breaking the cycle of homelessness in Santa Barbara by connecting neighbors experiencing homelessness to transformative care and innovative housing solutions.
Rob Fredericks, HACSB Executive Director and CEO (center, in white)) presents the 2021 Outstanding Community Partner of the Year award to City Net Executive Director Brad Fieldhouse. With them are Al Ortiz, City Net(far left) and Orion Brutoco, City Net (far right). Photo courtesy of HACSB.
The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara honored City Net as their 2021 Outstanding Community Partner of the Year. The Housing Authority created its annual partner award as a way of recognizing and thanking organizations and businesses that help change lives for the better. The supportive services provided to clients through a collaboration with City Net are an essential part of the Housing Authority’s holistic service delivery approach. Founded in 2005 in Long Beach, California, their mission is based on a commitment to break the cycle of homelessness in the communities they serve by connecting neighbors experiencing homelessness to transformative care and innovative housing solutions.
The Housing Authority partners with City Net through the SB Connect Home project, which was established in April, 2019. The program was made possible by a $2 million grant from the California Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), which remained in effect until June 30, 2021. In addition to HACSB, City Net brought together other essential partners to the Connect Home program including Cottage Health, Santa Barbara Restorative Police, and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH).
City Net’s presence in Santa Barbara has streamlined homelessness services provided by an alliance of city government and nonprofit organizations. Their work has resulted in ending street-level homelessness through the provision of street-outreach, case management, housing navigation, bridge-housing, shelter operation, reunifications, census coordination, and more. City Net also works to mobilize community resources, including meals, volunteers, donations and advocacy, to coordinate care in emergency shelters, parks, and other public areas where homeless neighbors live. These efforts seek to reduce wasteful duplication and fill missing gaps in the continuum of care, with the long-term goal of ending homelessness by providing homeless neighbors a stable context in which their emergency needs are met, so they can work on long-term housing plans.
City Net accomplishments in collaboration with HACSB include:
- Executed Memorandums of Understanding, to set aside HACSB Tenant Based Rental Assistance Vouchers and shelter beds for the SB Connect Home program.
- 98 permanently housed individuals
- 265 Active Clients
- 4168 Service Transaction
- 148 Street Exits to Shelter
- 19 of the top 50 highest utilizers of emergency services housed
The 2021 award was presented by HACSB Executive Director and CEO Rob Fredericks to City Net Executive Director Brad Fieldhouse on February 11, 2022 at the HACSB headquarters located at 706 Laguna Street in Santa Barbara. “The City Net team are an amazing, caring group of people who are mission driven to help the most vulnerable homeless in our community obtain and retain their homes,” says Rob Fredericks, HACSB Executive Director and CEO. “They have done tireless work in partnership with us over the last year with positive results in getting people housed and providing necessary services.”
Upon receiving the award, Mr. Fieldhouse said that “On behalf of our dedicated staff, board members, volunteers and our clients, I am proud to accept this accolade which acknowledges the commitment we share with HACSB and all the agencies involved in the SB Connect Home project.” He added that “Creating an efficient process for providing effective, long-lasting support for transitioning people from the streets to stable long-lasting housing is at the heart of what we do at City Net. We are thankful for the role our partners play in our success and our clients’ future.
About Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara
The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara is a local public agency created for the purpose of providing safe, decent, and quality affordable housing and supportive services to eligible persons with limited incomes, through a variety of federal, state, local and private resources. Since 1969, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara has developed and/or secured over 4,000 units of affordable rental housing for Santa Barbara through a variety of federal, state, local and private funding sources. For more information, please visit hacsb.org.
About City Net
City Net is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness in the communities we serve by connecting neighbors experiencing homelessness to transformative care and innovative housing solutions. City Net is a platinum-level GuideStar participant, demonstrating its commitment to transparency. For more information, please visit citynet.org.
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