For the first time, a new state report offers a bird-eye view of how much the state has spent to halt homelessness — nearly $10 billion over three years. Of the half-million Californians who made use of those services, more than 40% ended up housed. Which also means the majority did not, or the state lost track of their whereabouts.
homelessness
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Eight things you know about homelessness that are wrong
Housing advocate Don Lane has worked on issues of homelessness for three decades. Here, he addresses the eight misconceptions “we need to overcome to advance our community thinking about homelessness.” A former Santa Cruz mayor, Lane addresses the mental health argument, our community counting skills, the “send them back” stance and more.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘They need to know they matter’: Why a humanistic approach is core to this new homelessness group’s work
Evan Morrison’s four-month-old Santa Cruz Free Guide, which has been running the Safe RV Parking program at the Armory, has caught the attention of others who keep a close eye on homelessness response efforts. It’s why the City of Santa Cruz called on the Free Guide to pop up an emergency shelter downtown during the worst nights of winter storms. Morrison believes successful homelessness response begins with a specific mindset, grounded in empathy.
Posted inLatest News
Pandemic eviction protections, direct payments kept homelessness in check, study shows
Eviction moratoriums and relief checks helped thousands of people avoid homelessness during the pandemic, a study finds. Its authors say the same measures should be used in the event of a recession.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
More street medicine teams tackle the homeless health care crisis
Homeless people often have sporadic or no access to health care, resulting in costly, chronic conditions. A new statewide effort encourages Medi-Cal insurers to partner with street teams to improve care.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
District 3 dividing lines: Homelessness response is one place Cummings, Kalantari-Johnson show differences
Third District Santa Cruz County Supervisor hopefuls Justin Cummings and Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson sparred gently at Thursday evening’s candidate debate hosted by Lookout at the Hotel Paradox. How to help the unhoused, and in what ways, was the top issue that separated the two Santa Cruz City Council members.
Posted inLatest News
California homeless population grew by 22,000 over pandemic
The latest point-in-time count of California’s homeless population shows that it increased at roughly the same pace as previous years, although it appears to have disproportionately affected Latinos. Experts say homelessness interventions are paying off but “the inflow is killing us.”
Posted inLatest News
Police arrest two teens in alleged Ocean Street attack on homeless man
Santa Cruz Police Department investigators are still trying to understand what initiated an attack on a homeless male on Ocean Street on Friday night; Scotts Valley police have arrested two teens on assault charges. While attacks on homeless people seem to be on the rise nationally, there is little tracking of such violence, and none locally. Local police could not recall a similar case here and acknowledge it is likely incidents are underreported.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California won’t forgive parking tickets for homeless after Newsom veto
Assembly Bill 1685 would have required local governments and universities that issue parking tickets to forgive at least $1,500 in fines each year for Californians who prove they are living unhoused.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s applaud Santa Cruz city leaders for finally tackling homelessness
The City of Santa Cruz has finally adopted a real plan to address homelessness, which is a change from past practice. The city has a three-year plan to help transition people into housing and clear city streets and parks of encampments. Mike Rotkin, longtime mayor of Santa Cruz, wants us to give our city leaders credit for trying to tackle this longtime issue. He also wants us to use our votes to fund city taxes that fight homelessness, he writes.