Housing News & Updates

Tax season is here! The VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program has started as of February 16, 2021. The VITA program offers free tax help to local residents who make $67,000 or less annually. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing. This year, VITA will be operating remotely on a drop-off basis at two locations. 

CommUnify’s HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) can help those in financial need prevent service interruption or restore disconnected utility services. Assistance payments are provided for gas, electric, oil, wood or propane services.

The County of Santa Barbara is offering Emergency Rental & Utility Assistance through United Way of Santa Barbara County to eligible County of Santa Barbara residents, that have experienced a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and can demonstrate the need for rental support. This Emergency Rent Assistance Program is intended to prevent homelessness by providing rent assistance to residents. Upon application approval, applicants may receive up to $6,000 over 3 months toward rental and utility expenses. Applicants can re-apply every 3 months up to maximum of 15 months. Assistance payments to applicants will be paid directly to landlord and/or utility providers on behalf of the applicant.  

Accessory Dwelling Units Workshop: Learn What's New With ADUs, this workshop summarized the main amendments to the City’s ADU ordinance and provided information about applying for a permit and removing the owner occupancy provision from existing covenants. Followed by a Q&A with Planning and Building & Safety staff.

Housing Santa Barbara Day 2020 Virtual Workshops, due to the COVID-19 pandemic were virtual. We hosted a week of eight virtual workshops. All workshops were recorded and available on our website.

  Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara offers emergency rental and utility assistance for Santa Barbara residents facing financial hardships. Federal EFSP and HPRP funds are allocated countywide to provide rental and utility financial assistance to income-qualifying clients, specifically to prevent eviction or to assist a homeless family moving into housing. Working with their Client Resource Coordinator, together they develop a manageable plan to budget for future rental/utility payments. For more information or to make an appointment, please call (805) 965 - 7045.