Constructed in 1917, the 23,000-square-foot building at 601 E. Monticito St. in Santa Barbara houses the non-profit La Casa de la Raza. And since May of this year, it's faced significant challenges after being red-tagged due to major building and fire code violations. But a positive change came on July 17, when Jaqueline Inda of the Restorative Justice Education Center says, the building was reopened with the exception of two areas: the media room, which is red-tagged, and the kitchen, which is yellow-tagged.
"[For the kitchen] we need to rewire the gas lines, and that's the only space that right now we don't use other than the refrigeration," Inda said.
As for the media room, a second exit must be created before it can be occupied.
Inda explains that the current owner of the building has filed for bankruptcy, meaning that to keep up with necessary repairs, organizations within the building are relying heavily on volunteers.
"So really it's just people showing up with tools, and I have a contractors' agency that helps me get things out at wholesale, and we work out bargain deals and also get a whole bunch of things that are free for us to be able to use to do those kinds of repairs," Inda said.
But despite limited access to those areas, the rest of La Casa de la Raza continues to serve the migrant community
"La Casa de la Raza has always been a location that has helped individuals, where people can come and get the information that they need. There are a lot of migrant families out there that need help and support," said volunteer Emily Pineda.
Last week, the food pantry served 350 families, and it’s just one of the many non-profit support services based out of the historic building.
Repairs to the media room and the kitchen will be addressed in Phase II of the city’s ongoing improvement process.
