Cottage Health Announces Plans for New Home Buying Opportunities for its Employees
Cottage Health is creating new home buying opportunities for its employees by planning two new options that will offer 204 new homes in the Santa Barbara area for local healthcare professionals to purchase at below-market prices.
The first location for the new workforce homes is the site of the current Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. After CRH completes its planned move to the Goleta Valley Cottage campus and all regulatory approvals are in place, construction will begin to create 44 new homes (with parking) at 2415 De la Vina Street. The homes will be offered for Cottage Health employees to purchase at below-market prices.
The second location is near Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital on South Patterson Avenue. New housing is being planned for this site, and Cottage has entered an agreement to acquire 160 of the units to offer homes for employee purchase at below-market prices. Construction at both locations is planned to begin in 2028, with the first homes for Cottage staff becoming available in 2029.
Cottage Health’s new workforce homes will follow in the footsteps of a program proven successful with its Bella Riviera location, built more than a decade ago with 81 affordable homes for its healthcare workforce. Cottage Health’s workforce homes at Bella Riviera have shown the impact affordable homes have on employee retention, and the high demand for more options like this. Currently, 84 employees are on the wait list for one of the 81 workforce homes at Bella Riviera. Since these homes became available more than a decade ago, 145 healthcare professionals have benefitted from the program.
Keeping healthcare professionals local to provide care is essential during emergencies like fires and road closures. As hospitals across the country compete for the most qualified healthcare professionals to care for their communities, Cottage Health is planning for the future to ensure our community has the healthcare team needed to respond to emergencies. Affordable home buying options for Cottage employees fosters long-term commitment to providing healthcare for the Santa Barbara community.
