In his latest Lookout piece, columnist Mike Rotkin says, “What troubles me the most are the constant drumbeat of progressive voices who focus on the reality that there are more homeless people than available beds in the City of Santa Cruz. The fact is that only about one-third of the campers being moved accept any of the alternatives the city offers them. This means that essentially, the homeless problem is not a lack of shelter beds.”
At this time, best estimate is there are approximately 15-20 available shelter spots in the entire county, and no shelters for single men in Watsonville, at all. When these spots are full, where should the remaining 1,300-1,400 people experiencing homelessness go?
As a former mayor, what solutions do you offer in terms of where additional shelter space should be built? Where will the funding come from to manage the shelters? Where will the funding come from for additional low-income housing for people?
My guess is you do not have an answer for that, as no one really does, at least en masse.
However, regardless of whether people accept shelters, or not, there is still not enough shelter space available – and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is not providing funding for shelters. They have to sleep somewhere. What do you suggest?
David Davis
Santa Cruz