A new Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report says coronavirus isn’t the only health crisis facing the county. It calls homelessness the county’s everyday epidemic. The new report says government agencies aren’t doing enough to deal with the crisis.
The Grand Jury says state and federal funding isn’t enough, and that the county and its cities need to make bigger financial commitments to help. And, the report says there’s a lack of leadership among county and city leaders when it comes to finding more housing for the homeless.
It says government and non-profit workers are doing the best they can with the problem, but notes the number of homeless is still growing.
A recent survey cited by the Grand Jury says the county has about 1900 homeless residents. It notes the county has one of the highest rates of homeless school-age children in the state.
