This review is to warn family and potential clients of the many downsides of Sanctuary Centers. I…read morewas there for 5 months, January of 2011 - May of 2011. Even though this is being written long after my stay, I see a review written on Yelp dated 12/20/24 which shows that not much has changed over the past 15 years. First off, as with other reviewers, I immediately disliked the director, Lisa Moschini. I found her to be abrasive, egotistical, and confrontational. Next, here is a message that I emailed to my parents after I had been living at Sanctuary House for 4 months being treated for bipolar: The reason for this message is to express my INTENSE desire to move out of Sanctuary House ASAP!!! My therapist at the Sanctuary House Arlington Day Treatment Center knows this, and you know I've been unhappy living here for various reasons for some time now (at least a month??) What my therapist at the Sanctuary House Arlington Day Treatment Center nor you, Mom & Dad, know is what happened today: after dinner, my chore was to wipe down the dinner table. In doing so, I found myself cleaning up large chunks of food (chicken & rice) from the floor where another patient had sat. Ggrrr. I informed staff, and was told that she should be cleaning up her dinner area in the future. I then went upstairs to take a bath. There were chunks of a patient's menstrual blood on the bath mat. Again, I informed staff about the mess, and staff assisted her in cleaning up the bath tub & mat. Still, as you might imagine, I was not too excited to use the tub after that. I waited until the bathroom was clean and went in to draw a bath. At 11pm, I went to bed. I woke up at midnight to my alarm clock going off--I have no idea how, but my alarm was somehow cleared and set to midnight. I shut it off and, at first, was going to go back to sleep. I got up & re-set my alarm (a task that is a pain in the butt with the alarm clock here...it's tedious and takes a long time, especially in the dark so that I don't disturb the schizophrenic woman who is my current roommate). And then, I got anxious--what if I overslept and missed the morning meeting? I would be placed on restriction. I CANNOT handle going on restriction!!!! Being confined to the house (instead of doing movement outside which is so integral for my health) is completely counterproductive. This infantalizing punitive system does way more harm than good. These things may seem minor to you. For me, though, I just can't deal with any more unpleasantness in my living environment!!! I am tired of asking 20 year old psychology student staff for my medications in the morning & at night. I am tired of asking staff if I may please use my 'contraband' items (perfume, razor, tweezers, cuticle scissors). I am tired of informing staff that other clients aren't doing their chores or are being messy. I am tired of doing chores. I am tired of being put on restiction if I have food in my room, am late for a morning meeting, or who knows what else. I am tired of signing in & out every time I want to go somewhere. I am tired of asking for money & turning in receipts. And, I am tired of having 11 roommates who all suffer from a mental illnes!!! The poor quality food here and constantly smelling smoke from the patients who smoke cigarettes isn't helping either. My patience, tolerance, and compassion for people in this house are GONE and I detest the person I have become in this house--ill-tempered, annoyed, and paranoid. I do not know how much longer I can take being in this house. I am trying my best, but quite honestly, would LOVE to flee. As far as 'graduating' goes: 1) I'd like to think that I could graduate by June 1st, but there is no guarantee of this (and from what my therapist said yesterday when we spoke about this, my chances may be slim). 2) Even IF I got a firm promise that, as long as I don't change my meds & keep up my 20 'community hours' per week, I'd be able to graduate June 1st I STILL don't know that I can hack living in this house until then--I am at my wits end with this house. 3) The Arlington Day Treatment Center is a joke. Spending my day being told to 'draw a picture of what anger looks like' is a task for a kindergarten, not for someone who is an adult. Thus, at this point, I could really care less whether or not I 'graduate' from Sanctaury. I honestly believe, throughout my entire being, that I will feel MUCH BETTER when I am no longer living here--my living at Sanctuary House is making me miserable!!!! *A final note: in all of the reviews on Yelp and Google, there is not a single one about a positive interaction with Lisa Moschini. And, I am happy to say that since leaving Sanctuary House by their defined 'AMA' (Against Medical Advice) I was able to rebuild my life. I work, have a husband, and a huge community of friends. Recovering from bipolar can be done!

Sanctuary is the prime example of amazing mental and co occurring disorder therapy and as well as…read morethe people who make up this very caring environment .Anyone who says anything negative is simply ignorant and doesn't accept the program and the problem's they Face

if i can rate no stars i would my sister got kicked out…read moretoday because she was spending time with her 3 kids that she hasn't seen in weeks, not even a warning, write up or some sort of discipline and still had the audacity to say to come back in 30 days? NO THANK YOU. this is very stressful and disappointing now she has no where to go. all because they " can't bend their back for her " don't see a point in calling themselves SALVATION army if they aren't helping but i guess another client lost. she does her choruses works and does what need to be done. this is so disappointing definitely do NOT recommend this place. i hope they do better and especially for their clients this is so ridiculous.

As a client of this facility I have been given the opportunity to find work, clear away legal…read moreissues, work on finding a stable living environment, and rejoin society. The staff is professional, and are helpful. I made some incredible friendships there. If anyone is down and out and needs a chance to get back on their feet there is nothing better than the Hospitality House.

It's always a good idea to me to go to downtown Santa Barbara. Always a great day trip idea from LA…read moreall year around! Sure, the downtown went (and still is) going through various changes over the years. But it's still a cute, unique area with Spanish inspired architecture, fun vibe, bustling with people shopping, dinning, going to a movie or a show. I love shopping here, browsing, check out the street artists, it's a charming spot.There are hotels near by, cool shopping centers like El Paseo, always lively. I enjoy checking out a Museum, the Santa Barbara Art Museum has elegant exhibits that I keep going back to, Presidio shows you the history of the area and the Historical Museum is a great one to visit, better that I thought, I'd like to visit again! Great coffee shops, nice culinary scene, unique shops, bookstores, cute vegetation and landscaping. The Granada and Arlington Theaters are in the middle of it all! Great holiday decor and spirit, lots of events and activities! A bit of culture and fun, all in a great area of California!

It's always nice to stroll along the Blvd. it's completely changed big time from years ago with the…read morefancy department stores. Now all are gone as well as loads of smaller shops. But plenty more taking their space. Also, new restaurants popping in left and right. Plus I did notice loads more breweries which is nice. The main road is still blocked off from Covid I believe. There's still plenty of places to walk into and check out.

In 2006, i was introduced to casa ad it was a wonderful experience. Staff so nice. Showers great…read morehad a nice den with reclining chairs, food olenruful and organized. Regret did not take advantage of program. I didn't witness any drug use in those years.

this homeless shelter is struggling. they have financial issues and many homeless people say they…read morearen't friendly and don't accommodate guests respectfully. ie. poor living conditions, lack of basic material needs provided, lack of respect, careless. as of june 12, 2014 they are having legal problems. i don't know if everything said is true, but when i went there they couldn't help the 10-15 homeless people looking for help when they went to check in at 8 am. they turned them away. i heard they used to serve lunch and either had a day center or were trying to build one for the homeless to get help and spend time there during the day instead of being unwanted in the city. now it is my understanding that they are just have a few beds for addicts in recovery and turn most homeless people away. this is not a sufficient shelter anymore, and the resources and help are very limited if at any http://www.noozhawk.com/article/casa_esperanza_board_lays_off_top_executives_20140310 http://www.independent.com/news/2014/mar/11/homeless-shelter-directors-laid/

Unity Shoppe is a thrift store located at the Random store location. It is cleaner, more organized,…read morebut you still can spot some merchandise left over from Random (frankly more interesting) and it has the Random vibes. Lots of merchandise, a tad of everything- clothes, home decor, very little media, accessories, decent prices, good customer service. Closed on Sundays!

The Unity Shoppe is a fun thrift store based business. What they offer is a whole lot of a whole…read morelot of everything. They have a vast selection of clothing, jewelry, trinkets, tchotchkes, music, books, pretty much you name it and they've got it. In terms of their overall shopping experience, what you find here is pretty much the best of the best of used items. Thus, in some cases, their prices tend to be a bit high, compared to what you might find at your average thrift shop. This being said, again, a lot of the less than perfect items are weeded out, so you're not going to have to work your way through that type of inventory to find what you're really looking for. The shop is very well organized, and easy to navigate. The staff here are all really nice. So, you can be sure to have an enjoyable shopping experience. Located right on State Street, this business is very easy to find. It's one of those shops that you never really know what you're gonna find, so you may find that perfect item that you're looking for, something you never knew you needed, or even that unique gift.

The only problem with the Santa Barbara location is that the parking lot is too small…read more It's a no-frills thrift store, and much better to deal with than Alpha Thrift.

I haven't been inside this Goodwill, but I have nothing but gratitude for the donation center. I…read morelove getting rid of stuff, and Goodwill makes it easy, with a clear, specific list of things they will and will not accept. In practice, they take everything and sort it themselves, trusting the general public not to use them as a dumpster. We just renovated my husband's childhood home and have taken the opportunity to do some decluttering. After a few weeks of this, we had several boxes of kitchen and other home goods we no longer wanted. A lot of this stuff was in reasonable condition, and I drove it over to Carrillo Street in a couple cathartic trips. The parking lot of the donation center was bustling with activity, a stream of cars coming in with donations, and a diligent crew working to receive them. The guys I talked to were very nice and helpful, and they took my boxes, no questions asked. I hope those random mugs and books and office supplies find people who might enjoy them. I hate the idea of all that stuff ending up in a landfill, and am happy it gets another chance.

While I intended to stay with Casa Serena for 90 days, my stay was cut short to only 6 days as a…read moreresident. I complained of bullying by other residents, and the same day was asked to leave. I was discharged through the front gate without a plan on where to go. My home is 5 hours away. I was just 6 days sober and asked that I secure a safe aftercare plan, but the Clinical Director malpracticed. Casa Serenas is TOXIC. There is no privacy if you wish to have confidential conversations with the staff. The staff is mostly college aged women who cater to bullies in the program. The Clinical Director is at fault for the condition of Casa Serena. And when I was there, only three beds out of fifteen were occupied. Noone believes in this place anymore. It's a shame. Casa Serena should look inward to find a way to remediate the toxicity.

Life changing! I hold everyone at casa in my heart always. Continuing on to outpatient is…read moremandatory if you want real recovery.

I didn't adopt a cat here, but I wanted to write a review because my daughter is a girl scout and…read morewe came here for a field trip. What an amazing place that I honestly didn't even know existed! The people working here are so knowledgeable and good to the cats. The girls had the best time playing with the cats as well! They have small rooms to go in where you can hangout with the cats in an enclosed, safe environment. I can definitely tell that the cats here are really loved and cared for! This is such a loving place for these cats. Also, shoutout to ASAP for being so good with the girl scouts who visited them as well!

Amazing experience with adopting my new baby cat. Application filled out and accepted within…read moreminutes, and i found my new family member , so thankful of the sweet lady who was working alone the 28th she made sure we were able to take our baby home .

Spark is AWESOME! We were able to work with them in 2021 to add a cat to our family. We worked with…read moreSusan and were able to obtain the cutest little baby who quickly became a member of our household. He is so perfect and we have completely shifted our mindset with going to breeders. Rescues all the way. We had serious piece of mind with Spark knowing our baby was already neutered, caught up with shots, and came microchipped. Leo became Theodore and we love him so much.

We got our first dog from Spark and wanted to get another as a buddy. Both Susan and Doris(who…read moredoes the administration) were extremely hard to work with and kept asking for extra money above the adoption costs. We just wanted a dog who got along well with our first one and they made the process unbearable. We wanted to contribute a large sum of money to their rescue but ended up giving it to another rescue instead. For Spark, it is not about "the love of animals" but rather the love of money. Would avoid them at all costs. Also the conditions they keep the dogs in before adoption are unsanitary and filthy.

I had the pleasure of visiting both the Hermitage Museum and the botanical sculpture gardens…read more It's unbelievable that all of this is on one man's property in the hills of Santa Barbara. The museum is filled with fun pieces of art, some of it interactive. The giant sculptures on the property are remarkable, with the sheer quantity of them amazing. I loved the themed areas like the zoo. The vegetation is also a wonder, especially seeing rare specimens, some of them hundreds of years old. I can't wait to go back and spend more time appreciating all the detail that went into the place!

One of the most interesting and numerous place to visit. Vigorous walking up and down the hillside.read more