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Santa Barbara, CA — World Homeless Day is observed internationally on the 10 of October every year. The aim is to raise awareness about the needs of people who currently experience homelessness and promote work in local communities to address this crisis.
California is largely considered the epicenter of homelessness in the United States, with over a quarter of the county’s unhoused population residing in the Golden State. Currently, over 181,000 people in California are experiencing homelessness (source).
Santa Barbara County’s 2025 Point-in-Time Count shows that 2,436 people are experiencing homelessness across the county. Although the Point in Time Count has limitations in providing an accurate census, this does represent a 15% increase over the 2024 count of 2,119 (source).
This year, a coalition of providers has joined together to create a campaign aimed to educate South Santa Barabara community members about local homelessness issues, humanize our unhoused neighbors, and motivate individuals and groups to take action to address homelessness. The coalition includes SB ACT, Santa Barbara Foundation, PATH Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, and the City of Goleta.
This coalition and people with lived experience of homelessness will be offering proclamations at the County Board of Supervisors meeting and the Goleta City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 7 (9am and 5:30pm, respectively).
The coalition will also be hosting a media campaign themed “Kindness Can Change a Life” starting Friday, October 10. The video campaign will feature the stories of local individuals experiencing homelessness. The videos, generally produced by Oscar Guiterez, will be available starting October 10 at http://www.sbact.org/whd as well as through SB ACT’s social media (@sbactnow on Instagram and Facebook).
The coalition will also be sharing stories to local media about how local leaders have had their hearts touched by local homelessness issues, and what they hope to do about it.
On Thursday, November 6 from 5-8pm the coalition will have a table in the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association First Thursday Art Walk on State Street. Community members are invited to stop by and pick up informational cards and a care kit or two that you can distribute to anyone you see who might be in need.
We invite community members to join with us by sharing the individual video stories on social media. There are more action items available at http://www.sbact.org/whd. Help us to spread the message that kindness can change a life!
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