The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission has served the county and city of Santa Barbara for 60 years, providing emergency services and a 12-month Residential Recovery Program for those struggling with addiction. With 80 beds for men and 39 for women, we are the only emergency shelter open 365 nights of the year from Santa Maria to Ventura. In a typical year, we provide over 140,000 meals and 50,000 nights of safe shelter for individuals with no place else to turn.
Because substance abuse has a sizable impact on our community and is often a contributing factor to homelessness, we focus 85% of our resources on recovery efforts employing residential modalities.
The Mission’s 12-month residential recovery program aims to bring individuals from decades of addiction, institutionalization, and homelessness back to sobriety, health, and wholeness. Certification through the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs ensures that participants receive the highest standard of treatment in a non-medical facility.
The recovery programs are operated in two separate (24 W. Arrellaga and 535 E. Yanonali St.) gender-specific locations for 45 men and 24 women. In 2022, 29 people completed the recovery program, joining over 934 graduates since 1997. Our most significant accomplishment is the long-term change we see in our graduates. In contrast to national statistics that show only 21% of those who complete addiction recovery programs not returning to dependency within five years, more than 52% of our graduates maintain recovery over this same time period.
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission is the only organization between Oxnard and Santa Maria that provides hot meals and overnight accommodations seven days a week, 365 days a year. Shelter is provided every night to 88 men and 40 women. On an annual basis, the Mission provides approximately 70,000 meals and 42,000 overnight stays for the homeless of Santa Barbara.
Schedule for our overnight guests:
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s Men’s Residential Treatment Program is a 12-month, faith-centered, 12-step social model program. Residents are provided with a living and learning environment that addresses the issues of addiction in a holistic way. The program’s core tenet is that recovery occurs in relationships with God, others, and self.
The Rescue Mission provides a safe environment that promotes healthy relationships and a staff of professionals who understand the needs and challenges of men seeking recovery.
Department of Health Care Services License & Certification Number: 420016AN Exp. 2/28/25
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s Bethel House Women’s Residential Treatment Program is a 12-month, faith-centered, 12-step social model program. Residents are provided with a living and learning environment that addresses the issues of addiction in a holistic way.
The program’s core tenet is that recovery occurs in relationships with God, others, and self. Therefore, the Rescue Mission provides a safe environment that promotes healthy relationships and a staff of professionals who understand the needs and challenges of women seeking recovery. Bethel House, the women’s treatment center, is situated close to downtown Santa Barbara in a residential area. The women enjoy the warmth of a home setting in two large buildings joined by a cozy garden patio. The loving environment enhances the possibility of recovery from years of painful experiences. Our commitment is to love our residents while they learn to love themselves.
Department of Health Care Services License & Certification Number: 420016AN Exp. 2/28/25
The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission provides safe, secure transitional housing in a supportive environment for men in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Once sobriety is achieved, maintenance of a healthy, chemical-free lifestyle requires support, encouragement, and accountability with like-minded people. Cornerstone is a place where men can learn to sustain a lifestyle of freedom from addiction through the support of trained staff and the camaraderie of peers. The Mission is located just blocks from the beach and within walking distance to downtown.
As hopelessness rises, you help provide a safe place for men and women in need. Please help us reach and serve men and women desperate for real change.
SBRM provides immediate help and lasting hope to those with no place else to go. We offer a 12-month Residential Treatment Program to men and women who desire to break free from cycles of addiction, poverty, homelessness, and crime.
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