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It’s been seven weeks since the announcement that Housing Matters (HM) was eliminating bathrooms, showers and mail services on Coral Street, and there has been no measurable progress on replacing them. Even though HM informed Santa Cruz County eight months ago of its intention, nothing more than Manresa State Beach in Watsonville for showers and DeLaveaga Park for bathrooms have been suggested publicly.
HM staff have indicated that somewhere else on Coral Street is not an option. Why is the organization ending the services dictating where they will be placed? Sea Berg Metal Fabricators on Coral Street, owned by the city since 2022, seems to be a viable option. So does 1220 River St., where there is already a city-run shelter.
How difficult is it to make a decision? Meanwhile, the longer elected officials and Housing Matters wait, the longer the odds any replacement will be provided. This does not even cover where mail services will be moved to.
This is unacceptable.
David Davis
Santa Cruz