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Isla Vista board approves Good Samaritan warming-center agreement with conditions
Summary
The Isla Vista Community Services District approved a facility-use agreement with Good Samaritan to host warming centers at the community center on short notice; staff cautioned the site is not a guaranteed, always-available shelter because of existing paid reservations and limited local sites.
The Isla Vista Community Services District voted to approve a facility-use agreement with Good Samaritan to host temporary warming centers at the community center when weather or rain warrants such services.
Staff described the arrangement as conditional: Good Samaritan will give about three days' notice to activate a warming center, and centers typically operate overnight (commonly cited as 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.). Maya, the district staff lead, said staff will try to accommodate the operation within existing rentals and, where possible, adjust start times slightly to reduce conflicts with scheduled events. "A warming center is a space that...they provide snacks and cots for people to lay on and sleep and rest or just have a nice warm space and Good Samaritan provides staff," Maya explained.
Board members and public commenters praised the district for stepping in to host warming centers but noted limits: the community center and adjacent rooms are sometimes reserved for paid events, and district staff do not currently have multiple consistently available sites. Staff said they will continue outreach to identify alternate locations and that Good Samaritan operates warming centers around Santa Barbara County and will deploy staff on short notice.
During public comment, residents and service providers said the centers reduce immediate exposure risks and improve connections between outreach providers and people experiencing homelessness. The board approved the agreement by voice vote; the motion was recorded as passing without a roll-call tally in the transcript.
The approval directs staff to continue coordinating with Good Samaritan on notice, space selection, and flexibility measures and to report back on efforts to secure additional sites.
The next procedural step identified in the meeting was to continue quarterly coordination meetings between the district and library/partner agencies and to monitor capacity needs as the program is used.
