The Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective serves as a cornerstone of support for over 10,000 participants annually across Watsonville, Live Oak, Santa Cruz, Felton, and Pajaro. Dedicated to nurturing resilient families and communities, our collective empowers local children, parents, seniors, and families with education, resources, and advocacy.

Our family resource centers are vital hubs, serving as connectors, protectors, and trusted guides for individuals and families in need, regardless of their circumstances. In many communities within our region, access to government assistance is limited, making our centers indispensable for those seeking help with issues big or small.

We offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to meet the diverse needs of our community. From parenting classes to crisis assistance, emergency preparedness, and housing aid, we provide a lifeline for those facing hardship. Additionally, we facilitate public benefits enrollment, ensuring families can access crucial support programs like CalFresh, Medi-Cal, Unemployment, and Social Security.

One of our flagship initiatives, the Eviction Defense Collaborative, exemplifies our commitment to addressing pressing community challenges. This collaborative effort, formed during the COVID-19 Pandemic, aims to disrupt the cycle of evictions affecting countless local families. In partnership with Tenant Sanctuary, Senior Legal Services, and the Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County, we provide essential support to tenants and landlords facing eviction crises.

Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective locations are the home for the Eviction Defense Collaborative, an innovative alliance with Tenant Sanctuary, Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County, and Senior Legal Services.

Meeting the Need

In a county ranked as the most unaffordable rental market in the United States, this alliance has come together to create a lifeline for tenants and landlords in distress. We work tirelessly to create a unified front against eviction crises in Santa Cruz County and, in the wake of the 2023 floods, the community of Pajaro. 

The Eviction Defense Collaborative, operating from the Community Bridges FRC sites in the region, offers a range of critical services to prevent legal evictions, ease the burden on vulnerable residents, and support landlords in what sometimes may feel like an adversarial process. The program had previously received a one-time COVID relief grant from the County of Santa Cruz, but this support ended in June. The demand for legal aid services for undocumented clients, landlords, and those not served by other local resources is growing faster than currently available resources. In the face of such stark affordability challenges, the Collaborative’s mission is to keep tenants housed and minimize the negative consequences of legal eviction.

Comprehensive Tenant Support  

Here’s a snapshot of the essential services provided by the Collaborative: 

  • Community Bridges: Facilitating comprehensive education on tenant and landlord rights, offering personalized case management and advocacy services from initiation to resolution, and facilitating connections to a range of programs, services, and resources aimed at supporting individuals in challenging circumstances.
  • Tenant Sanctuary: Offers free tenants’ rights counseling and assists tenants in demanding that landlords adhere to the rules. 
  • Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County: Provides free mediation services for various tenant-landlord disputes, including home repairs, rent increases, evictions, and unsanitary conditions.
  • Senior Legal Services (SLS): Offers free legal case evaluation, document preparation, and potential legal representation to tenants served with evictions (unlawful detainers). SLS plays a crucial role in negotiating move-out agreements that mitigate the long-term impacts of court-ordered evictions. Given the time-sensitive nature of these cases, SLS responds to referrals promptly through our case referral process.

Resolving Conflicts 

Here are a few remarkable success stories that exemplify the transformative impact of the Collaborative’s services (Participant names have been removed to protect their identity).

La Manzana Community Resources in Watsonville is constantly bustling with families throughout the week. Many of them need rental assistance and guidance.

Mr. F’s Journey to Housing Stability: Mr. F, a long-term tenant of over 20 years, was facing the possibility of eviction. Confused and uncertain about the reasons behind his eviction, Mr. F sought mediation and requested the Collaborative to communicate with his landlord. Through open dialogue, the landlord and Mr. F were able to reach an agreement, allowing Mr. F and his family to continue residing in their home until they could purchase or rent a new one. 

Ms. D’s Journey Towards Healing: Ms. D faced a daunting 3-Day Notice to “Pay or Quit” due to being behind on rent by over $11,000. Her financial struggles were compounded by the loss of her mother in 2021 and her brother in 2022, as she was their primary caregiver. Grieving and overwhelmed, Ms. D needed help to navigate her difficult circumstances. The Collaborative successfully negotiated her a softer landing. Ms. D gained additional time to pack her belongings and move closer to her family, and a payment plan was established to reduce her debt gradually and without negative credit implications that would haunt her from future rental opportunities. Notably, she left the property with no eviction on her record and a plan to move forward.

A Proven Solution 

The stark reality is that Santa Cruz County’s conditions for an eviction crisis are intensifying. It is not only a housing issue but a human rights issue, as countless residents teeter on the precipice of homelessness. Additional funding and support for the Eviction Defense Collaborative are not merely desirable; they are an absolute necessity. Community Bridges’ ultimate policy objective would be to ensure a right to counsel program is established and available for all community members to ensure that justice is served equitably regardless of income or circumstance.  

A recent landmark study of homelessness found that the issue is closely tied to unaffordable housing options and significant rent burdens. In this study, roughly four in five participants entered homelessness immediately after having a previously stable housing situation that was upended by rising rental rates. And 82% of the participants in the survey believed receiving a one-time payment of $5,000- $10,000 would have prevented their homelessness.

A significant portion of our community’s 10,000 members who utilize the Family Resource Collective’s services are Latine (80%) and primarily Spanish-speaking renters (68%). Approximately 90% of individuals accessing FRC services during the fiscal year 2022-23 were living below the poverty line.

Mediation, navigation services, and case management support to access back rent programs, community supports, housing, and benefits are integral to the Collaborative’s mission. They play a significant role in preventing homelessness. Eviction prevention is key to addressing any housing crises, as we know that it is much harder to secure housing once experiencing homelessness and the cost of serving unhoused individuals is far greater. 

In the face of this housing emergency, the Family Resource Collective’s Eviction Defense Collaborative stands as a symbol of resilience, compassion, and unity. But without the support of the community, its ability to protect vulnerable tenants and landlords hangs in the balance. Let us come together to ensure that every Santa Cruz County resident has a safe and secure place to call home.