Taking advantage of new state funds, some California health care providers are starting to offer what their homeless patients really need: housing.
homelessness
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz stays course on homelessness approach, but Supreme Court decision casts shadow
The U.S. Supreme Court said local jurisdictions can criminalize people sleeping and camping on public land. But does that mean communities in Santa Cruz County will?
Posted inLatest News
Supreme Court gives cities in California and beyond more power to crack down on homeless camps
Cities no longer are prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision released Friday in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
How Pastor Dan and Watsonville’s Westview Church became a center of homeless help
In the heart of Watsonville, a small church is playing an expanding role in the homeless crisis. What started as an effort to feed the unhoused population along the Pajaro River is expanding into a mini-village of 34 microhomes behind Westview Presbyterian Church that will also host social services. Construction is set to start next month with the goal of housing residents by December.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Finger-pointing at Coral Street – here’s why a homeless encampment lasted for so long in Santa Cruz
An encampment of about 40 to 60 people popped up on Coral Street in the spring and lasted for months before Santa Cruz police cleared it. Why did it take so long? Housing activist and former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane unpacks the complex reasons.
Posted inLatest News
2024 point-in-time count: Seniors and behavioral health still big concerns amid improvements among families and vets
This year’s point-in-time count showed similar levels of homelessness across Santa Cruz County compared to 2023. While the situation improved among families, youth and veterans, homelessness rose among older adults. Those currently unhoused reported more mental illness and substance use disorders as well.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
How shots instead of pills could change California’s homeless crisis
Doctors on the front lines of California’s homelessness and mental health crises are using monthly injections to treat psychosis in their most vulnerable patients.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
How did we get to the homelessness problem of today and what is next?
Homelessness didn’t just happen. It came about through government choice and policy, writes Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin, a five-time Santa Cruz mayor. Here, Rotkin leads us through how unhoused policies shifted starting in the 1970s and offers his read on what we need now.
Posted inLatest News
Newsom promised 1,200 tiny homes for homeless Californians. A year later, none have opened
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would send tiny homes to San Jose, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego County. Why haven’t any materialized yet?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With Cummings leading, Coastal Commission gives Santa Cruz two-year extension — not five — of oversized vehicle ordinance
The California Coastal Commission scuttled the City of Santa Cruz’s plans to extend its controversial oversized vehicle ordinance to a five-year program. County Supervisor Justin Cummings, who sits on the commission, successfully pushed for a two-year extension instead to assess the OVO’s effects on coastal access during the peak tourist season.
