The project at 3055 De La Vina Street will convert a former motel into 32 studio apartments, servicing extremely low-income residents, including individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
"It provides a great opportunity for adaptive reuse of an older vacant hotel into a permanent home for our most vulnerable community members," said Rob Fredricks of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.
Residents will receive rental assistance through the Section 8 program, ensuring they pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.
Fredricks said this is a step in addressing the critical issue of a lack of affordable housing in the county.
"The needs have only grown, and then all the other stuff that we're being thrown at people now with food insecurity, it just adds an extra layer of complexity, and we need to provide more housing," he said.
Completion is expected by mid-2026.
