About H&I
H&I stands for Hospitals & Institutions. AA members volunteer to bring meetings and the AA message directly to people in treatment centers, halfway houses, jails, prisons, and other facilities who cannot attend regular community meetings.
Volunteers are everyday AA members — no special skills required. You show up, share your experience, and let people know that recovery is possible and that AA is there for them when they get out.
All panels are run under the Santa Barbara H&I Committee, which meets monthly and is always looking for new volunteers. Whether you want to lead a panel or just be a "share member" for now, there's a place for you.
Active Panels — Santa Barbara Area
| Facility | Day & Time | Type | Coordinator | Phone | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalwart – Women's | Monday 6:45 PM | Women | Jane R. | 323-314-1509 | Women's sober living and recovery homes. Faith-integrated, accountability-focused early recovery program. | stalwartrecovery.com |
| Hedges House of Hope (IV) @ Good Samaritan |
Tuesday 4:00 PM | Coed | Grayson L. | 530-401-2682 | Transitional family shelter in Isla Vista. Serves adults and families in housing crisis, often with co-occurring substance issues. | |
| Dignity Homes | Tuesday 5:00 PM | Coed | Susan B. | 805-680-6475 | Interim supportive housing providing stable shelter with wraparound services for homeless adults in recovery. | |
| SB Rescue Mission | Tuesday 7:00 PM | Coed | Greg C. | 805-330-7076 | Emergency shelter and 12-month residential recovery program. Serves 88 men and 40 women nightly. Founded 1965. | sbrm.org |
| La Posada | Tuesday 7:30 PM | Coed | Brenda Razo | 805-280-6978 | Interim supportive housing. Small residential facility providing transitional shelter and recovery support. | |
| Women's SB Jail H&I orientation required |
Tuesday 7:30 PM | Women | Jane R. | 323-314-1509 | Santa Barbara County Jail — women's unit. Requires H&I orientation. Background clearance may apply. | |
| Men's SB Jail H&I orientation · background clearance required · 4436 Calle Real |
Wednesday 11:30 AM | Men | Alan B. | 805-669-7964 | Santa Barbara County Jail — men's unit, 4436 Calle Real. Requires H&I orientation. Background clearance required. | |
| SBYPAA | 1st & 3rd Wednesday 6:30 PM | Youth | Lorenzo F. | 805-319-2025 | Santa Barbara Young People in AA — committee, not a facility. Coordinates youth H&I outreach. | |
| Lompoc Federal Prison 2+ years sobriety · federal background clearance required |
Wednesday 7:00 PM | Men | Susan B. | 805-680-6475 | Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc. 2+ years sobriety and federal background clearance required. Only SB contact with federal prison access. | |
| Sanctuary House / Casa Serena | Thursday 7:30 PM | Women | Katie C. | 408-960-4199 | Casa Serena is a 60+ year-old nonprofit women's residential rehab near downtown SB. Sanctuary House is their transitional sober living component. | casaserena.org |
| Bethel House | Friday 7:00 PM | Women | Ellen R. | 310-819-5442 | Women's residential treatment, 535 E. Yanonali St. Part of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission — separate 24-bed facility for women. Faith-based, SAMHSA-certified 12-month social model program. | sbrm.org |
| CADA Arts volunteers always needed |
Fri–Wed 8:00 PM 6 nights/week |
Coed | Ellen R. | 310-819-5442 | Residential detox and treatment through the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA). Volunteers always needed. | cadasb.org |
| CRC | Sunday 10:00 AM + Fridays | Coed | David R. | 805-679-3099 | Cottage Residential Center — Cottage Health's 24-bed residential treatment program for adults with substance use and co-occurring disorders. 45+ years, Joint Commission-accredited, 12-step integrated. 📞 805-569-7422 | cottagehealth.org |
| Cottage 5 Bath | Sunday 4:00 PM / Wednesday 6:00 PM | Coed | David R. | 805-679-3099 | Cottage Hospital's inpatient detox and acute psychiatric unit at the Bath Street campus. Serves adults in active detox and early stabilization. Part of Cottage Health Psychiatry & Addiction Medicine since 1975. | cottagehealth.org |
| PHF Confirm appointment in advance · phones secured at door · 315 Camino Del Remedio |
Sunday 4:00 PM / Wednesday 6:00 PM | Coed | Steve G. | 805-705-0603 | Santa Barbara County Psychiatric Health Facility — locked acute inpatient psychiatric unit. Serves adults on 5150/5250 holds. 16 beds. Email: stalwartrecovery@cox.net | countyofsb.org |
| Juvenile Hall Special youth clearance required — contact committee |
Contact committee | Youth | (Seek coordinator) | — | Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall. No active panel coordinator listed — opportunity for a volunteer. Requires special clearance for youth facilities. |
Extended Reach Programs
CUR — Corrections/Pre-Release Contact Information
CUR (also called "Corrections / Pre-Release") is the H&I committee's program for connecting incarcerated people approaching release with an AA member on the outside. When a person inside requests it, a CUR volunteer receives their name and expected release info (through AA Central Office — no personal contact info is shared) and reaches out to welcome them to local meetings when they get out. It's one of the simplest and highest-impact forms of H&I service.
📞 Contact Cynthia H. at 805-729-3069 (text) to get involved.
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap is a national AA program coordinated through GSO. When someone completes treatment or is released from a correctional facility, a local AA member is matched to physically accompany them to their first few AA meetings — bridging the gap between institutional life and the fellowship. The match is coordinated through AA Central Office.
Contact the SB H&I Committee or visit aa.org to learn more.
Sponsor by Mail
The SB H&I Committee runs a Sponsor by Mail program for incarcerated AA members who cannot attend meetings. AA Central Office facilitates all correspondence — no personal addresses are ever shared between sponsor and sponsee. Volunteers are needed, especially those with experience sponsoring remotely or via Zoom.
Current coordinators: Cynthia H. (women) 805-729-3069 text · David R. (men) 805-679-3099. Sign-up list being actively built — contact either coordinator to add your name.
IVSS — Inside Visiting Sponsorship Services
IVSS is a NorCal H&I pilot (Area 53) providing video, text, and phone-call-based sponsorship to incarcerated people through their facility tablets. There is currently a backlog of requests from incarcerated people who want a sponsor — volunteers with 5+ years sobriety especially needed. This is separate from the local mail program but the same spirit.
Sign up: Google Form · Info: handinorcal.org
Senior / Elder Care — An Untapped Lane
None of the current SB H&I facilities serve a primarily senior population — and that's a gap. AA's national Treatment Committee guidelines explicitly include assisted living facilities as an H&I target. Seniors are one of the most underserved populations: alcoholism is frequently misdiagnosed as dementia or aging, and residents physically cannot get to regular AA meetings. H&I brings the meeting to them.
SB senior facilities with no known AA coverage:
- Casa Dorinda (Montecito) — one of California's most prestigious CCRCs, 250+ residents
- Vista del Monte — Episcopal senior community
- Samarkand — large retirement community
- Valle Verde — CCRC with skilled nursing
- Bishop Garcia Diego Senior Community — Catholic CCRC
- Friendship Manor — skilled nursing facility
- Santa Barbara Convalescent Hospital
- Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital
If you're interested in starting a meeting at any of these facilities, contact the SB H&I Committee or reach out to the orientation chair, David R. (805-679-3099).
How to Get Involved
Orientation is required before joining a panel. Contact David R. (Orientation Chair) at 805-679-3099 to find out the next date.
Look at the panel list above and find a facility, day, and type that works for you. Contact the coordinator directly — they'll walk you through what to expect.
You don't need to chair right away. Many volunteers start by attending as a "share member" and talking about their experience. Show up, be yourself, carry the message.
The SB H&I Committee meets monthly at the Alano Club. All AA members are welcome. It's where new panels are organized and volunteers coordinate.
Committee Contacts
✉ sbsantabarbara@gmail.com
✉ js@shupeconstruction.com
✉ dereese0707@gmail.com
All AA members welcome. No commitment required to attend.