SANTA BARBARA HOUSING CO-OPERATIVES

Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative (SBSHC) was started in 1976 by a group of UCSB students concerned about the cost of housing and slum conditions in Isla Vista. The students decided to form a cooperative to master lease buildings, thereby lowering rates and giving members greater quality control over the housing they occupied.
Currently, SBSHC owns four houses: Biko, Dashain, Newman and Manley. All of the houses are located in Isla Vista and each have their own distinct goals and culture. As a themed vegetarian house, Dashain was the first building within the co-op to have it’s own meal plan. Initially it was going to be called the House of Seitan, but Dashain sounded friendlier as it also paid homage to a house pet.

Biko House is named for Steven Biko, the Black Nationalist student leader and revolutionary who fought and died in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. Biko is a house for people of color and their allies committed to fighting racism. Biko is also home to a garage space used for community events and music performances.
Newman House provides “apartment style living” for its members who wish to live in smaller units or with friends. Newman is known for its socially and environmentally conscious residents. Newman house residents recently began composting and working with worm-bins.

Manley House is located close to campus and offers two separate living spaces: an upstairs with its own separate kitchen facilities, and a communal downstairs kitchen and living space. This past summer, the Board of Directors remodeled Manley, giving the house a new study space, kitchen, living room and solar panels.

All house management is supervised and/or performed by house residents. This includes meal service, housekeeping, maintenance, gardening, and finances. House members clean for each other, organize their own social events and educational activities, cook for each other, make their own rules and govern themselves. Issues that pertain to all of the houses and the organization as whole are addressed by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is SBSHC’s main governing body. It is comprised of eight members and two community representatives. Since the BoD is primarily comprised of members, SBSHC residents control all of the Co-op’s major decisions. The BoD is another example of resident ownership and control over aspects of their homes that landlords would normally control.
In addition to student management and BoD direction, there are two full-time staff members who oversee centralized operations. While the full-time staff provides continuity and expertise for the organization, major policy and organizational decisions are still reserved for the Board of Directors.

Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative offers a unique living alternative to the existing Isla Vista “slumlord” culture. SBSHC empowers its members to exert control over their living standards. Education, skill-sharing, doing-it-yourself and community building are all valued by SBSHC. While world domination may be a lofty goal, Isla Vista domination is in the works. Feel free to stop by any of the houses and say hello!