Santa Cruz County failed its unhoused residents during weeks of severe winter storms by not activating its extreme weather shelters, despite having staff, supplies and facilities ready, writes Sara Coon, an overnight site manager for the extreme weather shelter hosted by People First of Santa Cruz County. She believes narrow policies ignored the deadly risk of prolonged exposure to cold, rain and flooding, leaving people without dry clothing or warmth and contributing to preventable deaths. This was not a lack of resources, she writes, but a failure of leadership that demands immediate reform.
