Letter to the editor: Housing Matters has lost its way

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

In a recent Lookout piece, Mer Stafford, chief impact officer of Housing Matters, writes, “Now is the time to protect what we have built and to finish what we have started.”

I think Housing Matters management, led by Stafford and Phil Kramer, needs to take stock of their own organization, to protect and build what they have started. They started with serving meals to the public, providing showers and bathrooms and mail services to the homeless population. They welcomed all people at their shelters. Now, they have stopped meals for all, put up gates and fences, had Coral Street swept several times a week. And they are also ending their fully-funded-by-the-county day services programs and mail services.

Cognitive dissonance, tone deafness, privileged behavior, call it what you want. They are doing more harm to the people experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz than any other organization. It’s shameful to keep patting yourself on the back, while turning away people at your door. Smacks of Donald Trump.

David Davis

Santa Cruz