Quick Take
Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday pointed to a shift in the population of people experiencing homelessness from Santa Cruz to Watsonville and said that a new shelter and other services were needed in the southern part of the county before homeless encampments could be targeted as encouraged by an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The population of people experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz County has shifted from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, and officials see inequity in investment of resources regarding the unhoused between north and south counties, Human Services Director Randy Morris said while outlining plans for a new shelter and other services at Tuesday’s meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
“I think there’s a correlation to why we’re seeing a reduction in the number of unhoused in the northern part of the county” and a growing problem in Watsonville, said Morris.
Historically, there has been less investment in services in South County, he said. A “point in time” report by the county’s Housing for Health Division shows homelessness in the city of Santa Cruz has decreased by 36%, whereas in Watsonville the number has increased by 60%.
To address those inequities, Housing for Health has plans for two shelters with intensive services to help people into housing, said Housing for Health Director Robert Ratner — one in Watsonville and the other in Live Oak.
The planned 34-bed Watsonville shelter is part of a partnership with Monterey County that has secured $8 million in funding. The project is still awaiting approval from the City of Watsonville.
Housing for Health has also set aside $500,000 for a homelessness prevention program in South County, Ratner said, and is developing a Homekey youth transitional housing project in Watsonville.
“I just want to take a moment to really recognize the amount of investment in South County that’s been happening,” District 2 Supervisor Zach Friend said. “This hasn’t been a historic norm, and the fact that the county and the board are focused on it is important.”
Ratner also addressed what he said is public confusion about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order encouraging destruction of homeless encampments. Rather than immediately clearing encampments without a plan, Ratner said, the executive order calls for cities and counties to first adopt local policies to address homelessness.
Before the county can even address encampments, Housing for Health needs to ensure that the services are available for people, said Morris.
Housing for Health will provide its next update to county supervisors in 12 months instead of six months, per a vote the board took on Tuesday. The board also voted to send a letter to the governor’s office detailing the progress being made and advocating for more funding.
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