Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Public commenters urge Santa Barbara council to commit $5 million annually to local housing trust fund
Summary
Multiple residents and housing advocates at the City Councilstrategic planning workshop urged the council to prioritize a $5 million annual allocation to the local housing trust fund and outlined several potential funding sources and near-term steps.
Speakers at a Santa Barbara City Council strategic planning workshop on June 3 pressed the council to approve a regular $5 million annual contribution to the city—s local housing trust fund to accelerate construction and preservation of affordable housing.
Members of local housing advocacy groups, a representative of the Housing Authority and long-time residents described worsening housing affordability and called for the council to use a mix of city reserves, Measure I and Measure C allocations, loan payoffs and other near-term options to reach the $5 million target.
Rob Fredericks, with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, told the council that housing is the foundation that other services depend on. "Without affordable places to live, our workforce, seniors, and disabled residents are left behind, and the vitality of our community suffers," Fredericks said.
Larry Severance, speaking on behalf of CLUE Santa Barbara and as a resident, laid out a multi-part proposal the public suggested for raising roughly $5 million. He said city staff…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
