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Council approves sublease and funding agreement for FARO day center after neighbors and service providers speak in support
Summary
The council approved a month-to-month sublease and FY2026 funding agreement for the FARO day center (operated by Santa Barbara ACT), following public testimony from service providers, neighbors and people with lived experience of homelessness.
The Santa Barbara City Council voted Sept. 16, 2025, to approve sublease agreements and a FY2026 funding agreement allowing Santa Barbara ACT (SB ACT) to continue operating the FARO day center at 621 Chapala Street. The item drew substantial public comment: service providers, neighbors and people with lived experience of homelessness told the council the center offers trusted, trauma-informed services and neighborhood outreach.
During the council meeting several speakers described FARO's services and neighborhood outreach. Landon Rank, SB ACT's director of programs, told the council the center provides daily client services including job readiness, housing navigation and individual casework; he offered specific counts for recent client activity. Multiple board members, staff and clients spoke in support, citing housing placements, employment connections and medical referrals that staff had facilitated. Speakers emphasized the center's role in de-escalation and neighborhood outreach; staff said they have been responding quickly to neighbor concerns and had received a small number of written complaints over recent months.
Council members asked clarifying questions; City Administrator Kelly McAdoo noted staff corrections to related budget calculations (the fiscal impact of one proposed reclassification is $16,351, not the $27,741 originally listed in the staff report) and confirmed a clerical correction to the Q4 budget item (attachment three is the correct exhibit). After discussion the council approved the item with a minor clerical correction requested by the city attorney's office (a citation in the sublease text was corrected from section 7A to 6A).
Votes at a glance - Item 6: Sublease agreements and FY2026 funding for FARO (SB ACT) — approved unanimously (members present; Mayor Rouse absent). Motion by Member Santa Maria; seconded by Member Sneddon. - Item 3: FY2025 fourth-quarter budget adjustments (pulled for discussion) — approved unanimously (members present; Mayor Rouse absent). Motion by Member Jordan; seconded by Member Harmon. - Item 2 (consent): Adoption of ordinance amending/ratifying Agreement No. 26724 with Rincon Consultants Inc. for environmental services on the Las Positas and Modoc Roads Multi-Use Path Project — approved on consent. - Items 4 and 5 (consent): Employment agreements / position changes (library director permanent appointment / public works reorganization) — approved on consent.
The council recorded the sublease and funding agreement to allow SB ACT to continue FARO operations on a month-to-month basis, and asked staff to continue neighborhood outreach and coordination with partner agencies. Public testimony at the meeting was almost entirely supportive of continuing SB ACT operations at the site, with multiple speakers describing direct service outcomes and neighborhood outreach work.
