Sanctuary Centers is proud to announce a transformational $2 million leadership gift from the James P. & Rebecca T. Craig Foundation in support of its new Health & Housing Center, a landmark project that will expand access to integrated behavioral health services, primary medical care, and permanent supportive housing for individuals living with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
Nearing the end of construction in downtown Santa Barbara, the five-story, six-level center will bring together behavioral health care, psychiatry, therapy, care coordination, primary medical care, and 34 permanent supportive housing apartments under one roof. The Center is designed to create a comprehensive continuum of care that addresses both housing and health needs in a single location.
Dr. Rebecca Craig brings decades of experience in behavioral health, social work, public policy, and philanthropy to the Foundation’s work. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees in Social Work and began her career working directly with individuals transitioning from state psychiatric hospitals into community settings following the nationwide deinstitutionalization movement.
Reflecting on what inspired the Foundation’s investment, Dr. Craig said, “When I began my career in the 1970s, I witnessed the movement to transition people from state psychiatric hospitals into community-based care. The vision was to provide more humane, less restrictive, and more effective support. Unfortunately, the continuum of care that was envisioned often never fully developed. Sanctuary Centers is creating what communities have needed all along—an integrated system of housing, behavioral health, and medical care that offers people a real opportunity for stability and recovery.”
“All you have to do is look around our community to see the consequences of unmet behavioral health needs. Too many individuals are left untreated or in crisis, cycling through emergency rooms, psychiatric hospitals, and the criminal legal system. A comprehensive, integrated local program has the potential to change those outcomes while improving lives and strengthening our community.”
Though Sanctuary Centers still needs to close the final $2.5 million dollar gap before opening in Winter 2026, the Craig Foundation’s leadership gift marks a significant milestone.
