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Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Social
  • Suburban

Founding year

  • 1976

What we do

Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative (SBSHC)

The Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative is a nonprofit, member-run cooperative providing low-cost housing for students attending colleges and universities in Santa Barbara County. We own and operate five houses in Isla Vista, California, where student members live together, share responsibilities, and collectively govern their houses.

A student-run cooperative community. Members are not tenants. They are stakeholders who help run their houses through elected service positions like House Treasurer, Food Shopper, Maintenance Manager, and Garden Manager. Members also share chores, attend house meetings, and participate in quarterly Work Holidays. Beyond the houses, members can join SBSHC committees or the Board of Directors to help guide the broader organization.

Five houses, each with its own character. Biko House is a dedicated safe space for students of color, grounded in racial equity and social justice. Dolores House is vegetarian and vegan, with a focus on ethical and environmentally minded living. Manley House is our first communal house, known for its avocado trees, solar panels, and annual traditions like prom and outdoor movie nights. Merton House is interfaith-themed and also home to the SBSHC central office, library, and auditorium. Newman House is LGBTQ+ affirming, with gardens, a fire pit, and member murals throughout.

Shared meals, shared resources. Most houses run shared food programs funded through General Use Food Funds (GUFF), which cover bulk groceries, house supplies, and home-cooked meals each week. All houses include utilities and free laundry on site.

Open membership and inclusive community. SBSHC welcomes members regardless of gender, race, social, political, or religious affiliation. We work to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in our community and run educational programs that further the principles of cooperation through mutual, self-help living at minimal cost.

Our Mission

The Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative (SBSHC) provides low-rent cooperative housing for students attending post-secondary educational institutions in Santa Barbara County.
SBSHC welcomes members regardless of gender, race, social, political or religious affiliation, thereby working to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in our communities. We strive to engage in continuous educational programs that further the principles of cooperation through mutual, self-help living at a minimal cost.

  • Purpose
  • Social
  • Community type
  • Student Co-op
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Education
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1976
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1977
  • Started living together
  • 92 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
92

How to join

Application process starts in January for the following Summer and School Year. Series of informational sessions, tours, and house events. Room placements announced early February.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please email or call for a request to visit our co-op.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

Board of directors is one elected representative from each house plus two at large representatives and two community representatives.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (2 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Vegetarian Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Organization, Resource, or Network

Substance use culture

  • Substance use is frequent and public in the community
  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • California, United States

Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
  • Events
4 weeks ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
  • Events
1 day ago

Coastal Regeneration Immersion: Permaculture Design Certification in Jalisco, Mexico

Tropical Dry Forest Permaculture Design & Regenerative Stewardship Certification (PDC)12-Day Intensive | 120 Hours | Costalegre, Jalisco, Mexico APPLY AT XOCHIRAIZ.COM Join us for an immersive Permaculture Design Certificate course set in the tropical dry forest bioregion of coastal Jalisco. This 120-hour intensive blends internationally recognized PDC curriculum with hands-on regenerative practice — combining ecological design, agroforestry, natural building, and community stewardship into one integrated learning experience. Lead Faculty Jorge Luis Gtz. Olarte (Arborescencia RedGenerativa) – Regenerative Design, Soil Biology & Agroforestry Ozzy Lusth (Survior & Xochiraíz) – Wilderness Resilience & Survival Skills Dave Collins (Capacha Coastal Conservation Center) – Bioarchitecture & Ecological Development What You’ll LearnThe course moves through six progressive phases: Permaculture & Ecological Literacy – ethics, principles, and reading the tropical dry forest landscape Water & Soil Systems – keyline design, water harvesting, living soils, and compost systems Horticulture – food garden design, propagation, and biological pest control Regenerative Food Systems – tropical agroforestry, food forest design, and guild planting Ecological Infrastructure – bamboo bioarchitecture, bioclimatic farm design, compost toilets, greywater, and rocket stoves Integrated Design Studio – team-based final design projects covering watershed strategy, agroforestry, food forest layout, infrastructure, and phased implementation Daily RhythmMornings begin with optional surf/yoga and journaling, followed by field practicums and hands-on workshops. Afternoons include design studio and construction lab work, with reflection circles, communal dinners, and evening talks, films, or campfire discussions rounding out the day. Final ProjectParticipants work in teams to produce a full regenerative design package — landscape analysis, water plan, agroforestry design, food forest plan, ecological infrastructure, and bioclimatic farm plan — presented to a faculty review panel on the final day, followed by a closing ceremony, certificate delivery, and community feast. CertificationGraduates receive the Tropical Dry Forest Permaculture Design & Regenerative Stewardship Certification (120 contact hours), hosted by Capacha Coastal Conservation Center and Tierralegre, A.C. Curriculum integrates international PDC standards with tropical ecology, agroforestry, ecological restoration, bamboo bioarchitecture, bioclimatic design, GIS/photogrammetry, and regenerative leadership. Highlights Hands-on bamboo construction (temazcal, bathhouses, sculpture) Tropical dry forest silviculture practicum Community mapping and design project for Ekoa Green Community Talent show and sea turtle release
January 10, 2027 00:00 – January 24, 2027 23:59
  • Promoted
Offer
Need
  • Forming Communities
3 weeks ago

Forest Community Starting

Description: Willits, CA, Pacific Northwest rainforest system. Forest Haven is seeking forest lovers who value solitude. We have several areas in the main compound and a few tucked away in private. Space is designed for your RV / Tiny Home / +++. We will add power and water for each new Steward’s space. Land: 40 acres(17 hectares), 3ac for humans. Year-round creek at base of parcel. Heavy trees, 40 meter-ish high. Conifer mix. With a large south-facing common garden.   New forest stewards have agreed to prioritize tree health. This means each person here will have a say in whether we cut any single tree. We never cut for wood or sale.  Stewards agree to walk the forest daily as our one required 20-minute group activity.    Limit the number of dwellings to 3-5 Total. There are 8 common buildings, with 3 having flush toilets and one with a hot shower, washer and dryer. We are 100% off-grid.  We have a natural spring and solar. The full-size common kitchen is large enough to process the garden harvest and more. Remote workers and retirees’ welcome. Full online and cell service available.    Forest Haven is currently a private forest reserve.   If 2 households sign on, it will become a 501(c)(3). Each person’s “donation/rent” will be tax-deductible. This is a private forest reserve going public as a nonprofit.    Please inquire if you want to help in a small way using basic permaculture methods to improve our forest’s health, message me to learn more.

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