Please see below for information about a virtual workshop on housing that the Blum Center is sponsoring on Thursday, April 28th from 5:30-7:00pm via Zoom, including SBCAN's South County Co-president, Dick Flacks as one of the presenters. This is the second in a series of Blum Center-sponsored workshops on the crisis of affordable housing in California and the Central Coast. The workshop is free and open to the public.   

Access to affordable housing has long plagued UCSB students, staff, and faculty, but recent escalation in rent and housing costs are now at unsustainable proportions. The rental cost for a local 1-bedroom apartment exceeds $2,000 on average. Students have turned to dwelling in cars and converted vans as a means of last resort. Santa Barbara real estate continues to set records while pricing out those who still need to work or learn on campus.

The Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy is hosting a virtual workshop on the California housing crisis. The workshop will feature Dr. Richard Flacks, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at UC Santa Barbara. Dr. Flacks is an expert on UCSB housing politics and is currently the co-chair of SB County Action Network. We will also be joined by Sydney Evans, the Outreach Director for the Isla Vista Tenants Union. The workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Isaac Hale, Equity Research Fellow and contributor to the Central Coast Regional Equity Study. Q&A with the panelists will follow the workshop.

All are invited to attend and contribute to the discussion. Please join us for this virtual event on Thursday, April 28th from 5:30-7:00pm. You can register now using this Zoom link