* 2013 Vulnerability Index Survey Results
Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Project
As the Volunteer Coordinator it was amazing to see 600 volunteers come together for a common goal. Registry Week allowed friendships to be formed between surveying teams and community members, whether housed or unhoused. It was a beautiful thing to witness and I am pleased to be involved -Jessielee Coley
Common Ground Santa Barbara County, in partnership with the 100k Homes Campaign and the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H), is dedicated to housing the most vulnerable on our streets in Santa Barbara County.
Registry Week is when we survey homeless individuals using the Vulnerability Index and the Point in Time Count to discover how many friends we have on the streets throughout Santa Barbara County.
Common Ground Santa Barbara County recruits and trains volunteers to help with Registry Week and organizes Year Round Volunteer Teams. This website is dedicated to providing you with information on how you can get involved!
This January the Common Ground Santa Barbara County Team helped a vulnerable friend move into his own apartment. He told us it was the first time he's had running water in over 20 years.
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There Are Year Round Ways To Be Involved
The Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Project is a collaborative effort of community members from the non-profit, governmental, business and faith communities of Santa Barbara County striving to end homelessness in our communities. We:
- Recruit volunteers to participate in the Point In Time Count/Vulnerability Survey
- Notify the community about volunteer needs of nonprofits.
- Host and co-host educational trainings for people who want to learn more about homeless issues
- Operate year-round volunteer Homeless Advocacy Project Outreach Teams
The Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Project is dedicated to recruiting, training and educating volunteers so they can effectively work on teams to house the most vulnerable people in Santa Barbara County.
We Hold Regular "Introduction To Ongoing Volunteering" Trainings
The Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Project is dedicated to recruiting, training and educating volunteers so they can effectively work on teams to house the most vulnerable people in our County. The Next Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Volunteer Training: Saturday, May 4 from 11:30-4pm.
We want you to have the information, tools and support necessary to help our street friends move into housing and stay housed. As a Common Ground Santa Barbara County volunteer, you engage in outreach and attend a variety of trainings that will help shape your advocacy skills.
Our goal for you is to become a strong voice for our street friends while you help stabilize their lives. We are excited to bring you volunteer trainings based on best practices that emphasize the core Mental Health Service Act principles of empowerment and recovery.
If you’re interested in making a positive difference in the lives of others, contact Jessielee: cgvolunteers@gmail.com 451-5604 (to view the flyer click here
If you are unable to commit to this you may continue to complete the Volunteer Interest Form if: 1) you would like to volunteer as a Team Member at a future date or; 2) you would like to be contacted about other volunteer opportunities in the community.
Click here to complete the ongoing volunteer application/signup form
If you have questions contact Jessielee at (805) 451-5604
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How You Can Help Today
Fundraise: Your donations go directly to the purchase of outreach supplies (socks, cereal bars, etc) that will be used by the Common Ground Santa Barbara County Volunteers Teams year round. You can donate by mail or in person (301 E. Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101). Please make checks payable to: Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County and include "Homeless Advocacy Project" (or HAP) in the memo line of the check. Your tax-deductible charitable donations are appreciated!
Get Social (Online!): Join Us Online! Connect with us and spread the words to your friends!
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cgvolunteers
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CGHAPSBC
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2013 Vulnerability Survey Results
Survey Results - pdf of PowerPoint Presentation from March 25, 2013 briefing
Preliminary 2013 Contacts
- Santa Barbara: 945
- Santa Maria: 300
- Isla Vista/Goleta: 81
- Lompoc: 101
- Carpinteria: 10
- Guadalupe: 1
- Santa Ynez Valley: 24
Total: 1462
2011 Contacts
- Santa Barbara: 1078
- Santa Maria: 244
- Isla Vista/Goleta: 114
- Lompoc: 110
- Carpinteria: 15
- Cuyama 3
- Guadalupe: 5
- Santa Ynez Valley: 6
Total: 1576
Thank you to the following organizations for hosting the countywide Trainings and Logistic Centers!
- Lompoc/Santa Ynez Valley: New Life Christian Center
- Santa Maria: Church for Life & Good Samaritan Offices
- Santa Ynez/Buellton/Solvang: Buellton Senior Center
- South County: Santa Barbara City Louise Lowry Davis Center, Goleta Presbyterian Church, Saint Michael's University Church & Reality Carpinteria Church
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2011 Vulnerability Survey Results
UPDATE: When the Vulnerability Index Survey was completed in 2011 we had more than 500 volunteers contact 1,536 people and 1,143 surveys were completed. Of the surveyed participants, it was found that 932 (79%) people were vulnerable with high mortality risk if they remain on the streets. So far 117 people have been housed, including 25 vulnerable families.
2011 VI Survey:
- 1,536 people encountered
- 1,143 surveys completed
- 932 (79%) are vulnerable with high mortality Risk
To view more detailed results and to learn about our next steps in meeting our goal of housing 100 from those most vulnerable, click in the link below to view the pdf of the PowerPoint presentation given on May 9, 2011.
Survey Results - pdf of PowerPoint Presentation from May 9, 2011 briefing
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Next Steps
The survey prioritization targets limited housing resources to those most in need; thereby saving lives and impacting the community through an immediate visible reduction in street homelessness and use of high cost emergency services. The ongoing campaign calls for key public and private organizations to come together, along with hundreds of volunteers from the community, to identify our community’s most long-term and vulnerable homeless and to align existing housing and supportive services to match the needs of these individuals. The national goal is to permanently house 100,000 of our nation’s most vulnerable by July 2013. Locally, our immediate goal will be to house 100 of our county’s most long-term and vulnerable homeless in the coming year, and to create innovations and systems changes that will result in lasting, institutionalized process improvements and systems reforms that literally save lives.
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The Common Ground Santa Barbara County Homeless Advocacy Project Volunteer effort is funded by private donors, the McCune Foundation and the Mental Health Service Act, and it is organized in collaboration with the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County and the County of Santa Barbara Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services
