Santa Barbara County is receiving $8 million from the state to help people who are living in their cars find permanent housing.
"I had purchased a box truck, moved all my stuff into it and decided that’s where I was gonna live — in a truck," said Santa Barbara resident Salli Hershberger.
Hershberger was homeless for nearly 8 years.
"I had become ill and was just unable to work," she explained.
She says being homeless in her truck was exhausting. From the harassment…
"You can always get a knock on the door... any time of night."
To the lack of bathrooms, running water, and not having an address.
Hershberger began using New Beginnings’ safe parking program, which she says ultimately helped her get out of the truck and into housing.
"You just gotta ask for help," Hershberger said.
According to Kristine Schwarz at New Beginnings, most people living in their vehicles in Santa Barbara are homeless for the first time and 40% work full-time. She says the $8 million grant from the state’s Encampment Resolution Fund will specifically address 21 vehicle encampments in Santa Barbara County. Over the next two years, the goal is to house 300 people currently living in their vehicles.
"There are many resources to help people with financial assistance to utility deposits, rental assistance, security deposits, and landlord incentives," Schwarz said.
Schwarz says providing funding in those areas is a proven way to get people off the streets.
"Last year, we housed over 200 people with a third of the financial resources and half the staff, so it's an achievable goal," Schwarz said.
This assistance comes just before the recent Point In Time count showed an increase in Santa Barbara residents living in their vehicles from 611 people in 2023 to 710 in 2024. Schwarz says many of them are seniors.
"They find themselves at 73 living out of their car and that’s rough," she explained.
The other big area of increase shown in the count was in families – from 93 families in 2023 to 125 families in 2024.
