BASIC NEEDS RESOURCES

Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative

The Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative (SBSHC) owns and operates five autonomous, interdependent properties in Isla Vista. Along with providing low-rent co-op housing for students regardless of gender, race, social, political, or religious affiliation, SBSHC also strives to engage in continuous educational programs that further the principles of cooperation through mutual self-help living.  

What is a Co-op?
Each housing co-op is a close-knit community with its own theme. Residents cook and clean for each other, organize their own social events, and generally make their own house rules. Since they provide food service and maintenance, housing costs are kept relatively low. The cooperative structure also provides a myriad of professional development opportunities for residents.

For more information about the houses and application process, please click here.

Isla Vista Tenants Union

The A.S. Isla Vista Tenants Union (IVTU) is an organization serving the interests of Isla Vista tenants. They strive to meet the different needs of their members while uniting their common interests. They educate tenants on their rights and responsibilities and act as a resource when problems arise. They place a strong value in making sure people live without the suffering that arises from discrimination, retaliation, or neglect. In order to ensure this mission, they reach out to property managers, the University, elected officials, local groups, and individuals in order to address pressing tenant issues.

Contact

(805) 968-6704
ivtenantsunion@gmail.com
6550 Pardall Road Suite B
Goleta, CA, 93117

Affordable Housing Program

The City of Santa Barbara created the Housing Development and Preservation Program with the goal of fostering an inclusive community by facilitating rental housing for low-income households, and ownership housing that is affordable to primarily moderate-income households.

The intent of the Affordable Housing Program is to ensure the availability of affordable housing for all social and economic segments of the community. There are eligibility requirements and income limits set forth by the City, and they vary according to family size and other factors. The City does not own or manage rental properties. Visit their website for a list of owners/managers of affordable rental housing.

For more information on the Affordable Housing Program, visit the City of Santa Barbara's website here.

5 Practical Guides for College Students

These guides examine California’s three public higher education institutions to highlight existing resources and methods to support homeless and low-income students. These five guides are targeted to Homeless and Foster Youth Liaisons and other higher education professionals who work directly with these students.

For more information, view the five guides or visit their website. 

Workforce Housing Program

Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HASB)

The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HASB) is an award winning local public agency that provides safe, decent, and quality affordable housing and supportive services to eligible persons with limited incomes. Some of these resources have eligibility requirements, so please see the details of each program.

HASB's Workforce Housing Program is aimed at helping the community's low to moderate income workforce who are often caught between rising rent levels and ineligibility for other assistance. This program hopes to make it possible for more people to be able to live where they work, in Santa Barbara. This approach not only benefits participants by lowering housing and transportation costs, it also benefits the entire community by minimizing the environmental impact of commuting. For eligibility requirements and more information, visit the Housing Authority's page on Workforce Housing.

For more information, visit the website of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.

SELF HELP HOME OWNERSHIP HOUSING PROGRAM

Founded in 1970, the Duncan Group works tirelessly to advocate for affordable housing for low income populations by encouraging participants to empower themselves when investing their time in constructing a home in a multi-family community environment. Nearly over 1,200 families have been helped to build  and purchase their first time homes as the Duncan group teaches the necessary financial and construction skills. The labor requires families to commit to about 12-15 months to build a home alongside ten other families, a collective effort that creates a friendly neighborhood connection and pride.

For more information, visit the website of the Duncan Group.