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.
homelessness
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.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Take a peek at Veterans Village: It’s an answer to homelessness, but needs more money
Veterans Village in Ben Lomond offers cabins, scenic views and services to six homeless veterans and could be a model for how to handle homelessness in our community and nation. The only problem? Money. It has millions, but needs more. In this Lookout video, Keith Collins, a veteran homeless advocate and the director of operations and programming at Veterans Village, and two veterans who live there explain why Veterans Village matters, needs to grow and deserves support.
Posted inCoast Life
Beyond the Benchlands: Under lawsuit threat, Santa Cruz sets plan to clear homeless camp. What happens next?
Santa Cruz began clearing the Benchlands this week, but city leaders acknowledge that this could be a slow process depending on the number of shelter beds it can provide and the willingness of those in the encampment along the San Lorenzo River to relocate.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Homeless vets were said to be a local success story. So why does the latest data indicate otherwise?
While support for homeless veterans has been robust at both the state and national levels, a recent survey done in conjunction with February’s one-day point-in-time count suggests that the situation in Santa Cruz County might not be as positive as local advocates believed. Was it an anomaly or is there a bigger problem to be addressed?
