This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
Just a few blocks from State Street is affordable housing beloved by many of the seniors that live there — and it’s for sale. The Battistone Foundation provides 190 units of housing for low-income seniors near downtown Santa Barbara. In January, the nonprofit announced the sale of its properties for an asking price of $80 million, leaving many tenants with questions. This week, the foundation announced it plans to sell the properties in a private auction.
In the months since January’s announcement, some residents have gathered to discuss the potential sale, learn more about their rights as tenants, and raise awareness on the role these apartments play in housing nearly 200 senior citizens in a location within walking distance to grocery stores, entertainment, and major public transit stops, all of which helps keep them independent.
On June 25, members of the Edgerly Tenants Association, a group formed by some of the tenants, held a press conference where reporters, as well as City Councilmembers Wendy Santamaria and Kristen Sneddon, attended. At the conference, residents talked with city councilmembers, discussed the prospect of starting a community land trust, and asked journalists to amplify their voices in case an “angel investor” may want to buy — and preserve — the properties as low-income senior housing.
“For many of us — aging, disabled retirees on fixed, minimal incomes — [the prospect of a sale] is terrifying,” the association wrote on a handout.
This week, Cindy Hill, the Battistone Foundation’s chief executive officer, announced that the foundation completed the “first phase” for marketing the properties and is now beginning phase two — a private auction. The foundation said it would invite qualified buyers, with an emphasis on those who would keep the properties as low-cost housing.
The date of the auction, and the invited parties, has not yet been announced.
