Community members joined DignityMoves in celebrating the grand opening of the Hope Village Interim Supportive Community Saturday.
Hope Village aims to provide temporary housing for unhoused individuals in North County.
Saturday's event was facilitated by NCIS actor Duane Henry, who said he has a "connection with the homeless community."
"I was homeless at a point in my life," Henry said. "I always said I'd always keep a connection and be a vessel and an example as someone who can go through extreme situation situations and come out."
He added that he hopes to be a "beacon" for someone who needs it.
The Hope Village has 94 rooms with some rooms reserved for specific communities.
According to the press release, 10 of the rooms are revered for transitional-age youth and are operated by Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley. 30 of the rooms are reserved for unhoused individuals who require recuperative care after being discharged from area hospitals and medical providers and 10 rooms are reserved for veterans.
"We provide a private room with a door that locks. You can bring your pets, you can bring your possessions. If you have a partner on the street, we'll put a double bed in there for you. We'll do everything that we can to make this an accommodating place for you," Jack Lorenz, DignityMoves' Regional Advancement Director for Santa Barbara County, said.
There is a requirement for those who stay in Hope Village.
"We are going to ask you to work with one of our intensive case managers to come up with an exit plan that will move you to your next location within 6 to 12 months,” Lorenz said.
Steve Lavagnino, Santa Barbara County District 5 Supervisor, said the Hope Village project was a "long time coming."
"This is the community challenging the status quo and saying, 'You know what? Enough's enough. We can't have people living under bridges in the riverbed, in the alleyways,'" Lavagnino said. "This is a community showing its compassion, its heart."
DignityMoves said other partnering organizations include Good Samaritan Shelter, which will provide 24/7 staffing, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, Dignity Health's Marian Regional Medical Center, The Balay Ko Family Foundation and the County of Santa Barbara.
Hope Village is located at 2131 Southside Parkway, Santa Maria.
