By Nick St. Oegger

The consolidation of  Santa Barbara’s homeless outreach groups into one new organization was discussed at Tuesday’s  Board of Supervisors Meeting. Under the new plan, Bringing our Community Home (BOCH), Common Ground Santa Barbara, and the county’s Homeless Advisory Committees would combine efforts to better serve the needs of Santa Barbara County’s homeless residents.

Concerns about the efficiency of the current model of collaboration were cited as a major reason for the new restructuring plan. County officials hope that consolidating the agencies will streamline outreach services and increase communication between organizations. The County CEO’s office will research issues such as the cost difference between housing someone in jail or community housing.

Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr lauded the efforts that have been made to this point, but highlighted the importance of using resources effectively. “I do think again that we’re spending a lot of time, energy, resources, and money on this issue and we just want to make sure it’s focused in the best way possible to serve this population.”

The new plan would have committees focused on policy-making, coordination, implementation and evaluation. At the center is what Farr referred to as an “air traffic controller;” that is, a full-time staff person who would serve as a liaison between the different committees. The “controller” would interact with all arms of the new organization to make sure they are on the same page. Supervisor Lavagnino supported the idea of a coordinator, saying of the current model of outreach  is  “like an octopus [with] all these arms out there trying to bring services to the homeless, but we don’t have that head in the middle. I think this is something that’s been long overdue.”

The plan received unanimous praise from community members and outreach workers during public comment. Rob Fredericks, director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara  and a leader of Common Ground Santa Barbara, spoke about the data gleaned from last year’s Common Ground survey and the importance of implementing the new structure. “Now that we have this information, our group began looking at our current delivery system of housing and services,” he said. “We realized at the outset that we needed a different structure if we were going to make a demonstrable difference.”

Rolf Greyling, director of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission who sits on the South Coast Homeless Advisory Committeesaid that no one agency can confront the issue alone. He  noted that communities that have been successful in responding to homeless issues have been those that structured their resources properly.  “Studies have shown that for somebody to move from the margins out of homelessness and back into the community it really takes the collaboration of seven

Supervisor Janet Wolf said  she believed the new organization was a good idea in theory, but warned the Board that the financial impact needed to be evaluated before any final decision was made. She reminded the board that the recently approved budget had seen cuts of nearly $10 million, part of which was to some homeless outreach efforts. She stressed the need for efficiency within organizations already in place, “We’ve got some systems in place and I just want to make sure that we don’t tear those systems apart and then increase the homeless problem in the community, so what I hope that we do is that we retain some of these vital services . . . and that we also look for efficiencies within our departments.”

Rather than approving the measure outright, the board instead voted to allow the CEO to come to them with details relating to cost and financial impact before they make their final decision. With widespread support from outreach groups, community members, and city officials, cost may be the only thing standing in the way of final approval for the measure.

By Emerson Malone

What does it mean to connect and empathize with others? Is it still possible to reach out to others without the expectation of reciprocity?

A public lecture on the importance of empathy and altruism was held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 in the University of California Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) Multicultural Center Theater.

Kathleen Moore, a  religious studies professor, called the event “a propitious moment.”

“It’s an occasion when we can begin to talk about how we can bring together the massive efforts of several small nonprofit organizations in Santa Barbara who work for  for and on behalf of the less advantaged in the community,” she said to a  crowd of about 50.

The lecture, “Selfless Giving: An Interfaith Case for Empathy,” featured talks from Pravrajika Vrajaprana, a nun at Vendanta Society of Sarada Convent, and Craig Rennebohm, a minister who founded the Mental Health Chaplaincy in Seattle, an organization that works with the Seattle’s homeless mentally ill. He is also the author of the 2008 book “Souls in the Hands of a Tender God.”

Vrajaprana was a co-speaker with the Dalai Lama in 2006 at the 14th Interfaith Conference in San Francisco. Her talk was based on the Hindu belief that there is only one divine reality, and that it is necessary to understand this in order to empathize with others.

“[The] infinite divinity masquerades with different names and different forms,” she said. “One form is a Hindu nun. Another form is a professor, a student, a teacher, a CEO [or] a homeless person. It’s that same infinite divinity residing the hearts of all beings. We’re all just wearing these various masks.”

Selfless giving, Vrajaprana said, is to not expect anything in return.

“All other ways of giving are spiritually detrimental,” she said. “Anything that is motivated by selfishness is spiritually bankrupt.”

The expectation of reciprocation is what hinders the nature of generosity. Everyone wants to be appreciated for his or her benevolence.

“We only desire what we think we don’t have,” she said. The truth is: we lack nothing. We stupidly look outside of ourselves for the fulfillment that’s already in our hearts.”

Near the end of her speech, Vrajaprana quoted Swami Vivekananda, “Love thy neighbor as thyself, because your neighbor is yourself.”

Rennebohm started the Mental Health Chaplaincy in Seattle 25 years ago, where be began working as a Lutheran chaplain with the city’s destitute. The basic premise of the chaplaincy, he explained, is to not wait until someone is desperately ill to help them.

“We have to get out and engage people and build relationships,” he said. So “we explore possibilities for housing, [health] care, treatment and work. Let’s be proactive about relating to our neighbors.”

He related a story about a homeless friend he made in Seattle named Jerry. When Jerry learned his father had died and he suddenly realized he had no home.

“My heart froze,” Rennebohm said. “I felt cold. The first feelings of homelessness and abandonment were suddenly gripping him. … I stood in the street almost as paralyzed as Jerry.”

Jerry was banned from most drop-in centers and shelters in Seattle due to his anger. He was allowed at First Avenue Service Center where one staff member consistently gave him a blanket and sandwiches.

“It was a particular staff person who always looked out for Jerry,” Rennebohm recalled.

Soon the staff member died of cancer and Jerry attended the funeral service, where he shared how much the man had touched and helped him.

He sang “Taps,” which ends with the verse, “From the lakes, from the hills, from the skies, all is well, safely rest; God is nigh.”

The University Religious Center Interfaith Fund, The Interfaith Initiative of Santa Barbara County and the UCSB Religious Studies department sponsored the lecture.

Photo: On left: Pravrailka Vrajaprana. On Right: Graig Rennebohm