The Village at SB
Article in September 2008 “Dining & Destinations” Magazine

The Casa Perdido apartments were lost in more ways than one, though certainly the name was meant to suggest the address on Canon Perdido. Part reality show, part evangelism, and part community renewal, it's definitely undergone a transformation from the way things were. Now called The Village at Santa Barbara, there's a waiting list to get in. Tenants feel lucky to live there. Three years ago this was the heart of Santa Barbara's mean streets, accepted terrain of gangs and drugs and violence. Residents were hesitant to leave the safety of their apartments. Since the Turner Foundation bought the property, intending to provide low-income housing and develop a caring community, nothing is the same.

First came the repairs and the lush landscaping. Full time staff and management services. Then a community center with a bilingual staff, where children use computers and do homework, take $5 piano lessons, enjoy crafts at childcare. Everyone is known by name. Over 80 children live with their families in apartments, from studios to 3-bedroom units. Now there are barbeques and birthday parties and swimming lessons at the pool, health and nutrition talks, fitness equipment, a pool table, a community garden plot, and if you're interested, Bible study. Any denomination is welcome; leadership has its roots in basic Christian values, values put into action.

The people who are part of the Turner Foundation do more than talk the talk, they're part of the community. Executive Director Dean Wilson's had everyone over to his house for a BBQ or meeting more than once. His grandfather, a Baptist minister, began the Foundation with gifts from a few Orange County parishioners, such as Richard Nixon's mother, to maintain a home for the elderly. After its sale decades later, the project in Santa Barbara was begun, its mission expanded to include all age groups in need of affordable housing. Property owners in the immediate neighborhood next to The Village have begun to improve their buildings and the neighborhood is beginning to flourish. The Turner Foundation has had an effect in greater Santa Barbara; they partner with folks who serve dinner in the park to the homeless, hold inter-denominational prayer breakfasts at the Doubletree Resort for business and education leaders. Every available chance, they're building reconciliation, caring, and commitment.

They know the stories and the dramas in each apartment. There's a woman with just a few months to live, facing the end of liver disease. A family frequented by a gang member, now asked to leave. The Santa Barbara Police Department has a presence onsite, which has affected the community's extreme reduction in crime. It's now possible to think about other concerns: parenting, cultivating friendships, recycling, participation in the Residents' Council.

Kudos to the Turner Foundation and all the residents who are making life better on the Westside!