The shelter is currently housing approximately 30 residents, with a few soon exiting the facility to enter permanent housing or transitioning into sober-living rehabilitation.
July 22, 2021 at 4:36 pm by Asumi Shuda
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a new emergency, 50-bed shelter for houseless individuals in Isla Vista â currently titled the El Colegio project â during their June 15 meeting.Â
The shelterâs date of operation is not confirmed, and it will potentially be named the âHedges House of Hopeâ in honor of Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, a community organizer, spiritual leader and social justice advocate known for his work with the houseless community in Isla Vista.Â
This project will be handled and run by Good Samaritan Shelter â an agency that works to provide temporary, emergency and/or transitional housing and support services for houseless residents. Houseless residents will be directly referred to the shelter through a coordinated entry system operated by service providers from Good Samaritan, and the shelter will not take any drop-in or walk-up services.Â
By Tom Bolton, Noozhawk Executive Editor | @tombol
March 4, 2021
Services for Father Jon-Stephen Hedges will be held Thursday and Friday. (Contributed photo)
Services for Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, a fixture in Isla Vista and Santa Barbara County who dedicated himself to a life of service to others, will be held Thursday and Friday, according to his family.
Universally and affectionately known as “Father Jon,” Hedges, 73, had been seriously ill in recent weeks, and died last week at Sarah House, surrounded by his family.
Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church, 300 Sumida Gardens Lane, where Hedges served for many years as an assistant pastor.
Over the years he traveled throughout the country to provide aid and comfort to victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, shootings and other calamities.
The son of a Navy officer, he moved around a lot during his youth, and came to Isla Vista in 1968.
Hedges earned a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from UC Santa Barbara, and obtained his master’s in orthodox theology from St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology.
He was a board-certified crisis chaplain, a certified trauma responder and an emergency medical technician, who responded to disasters, large and small, in the community.
Hedges was especially known for his work assisting the homeless community and the downtrodden, and helped develop St. Athanasius Church’s St. Brigid Fellowship.