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.
homelessness
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.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Much of California’s homeless population is stuck in cycles of substance use. These strategies can help
Many Californians experiencing homelessness do not have access to the kind of care they need to overcome substance use disorder, which is almost always a significant barrier to finding stable employment or securing permanent housing. Kimberly Knopik, who has faced homelessness and issues with mental health and substance abuse, writes about what she’s learned.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: New era of policing vacation rentals in Santa Cruz County pushes complaints, violations into public view
News and notes on Santa Cruz County politics and policy from Lookout’s Christopher Neely.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Street sweeping program criticized for targeting houseless residents earns preliminary approval in Santa Cruz
On Wednesday, the City of Santa Cruz’s zoning administrator approved a coastal permit for a street sweeping pilot in the Harvey West area, part of the Westside and in Seabright. The program, which has drawn criticism from advocates for the unhoused community who say the city’s aim is to punish people living in their cars, still needs to be approved by the city council.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California fails to track its homelessness spending or results, a new audit says
There’s so little data available, it’s impossible to even tell if several of California’s largest homelessness programs are working, according to a statewide audit released Tuesday.