Writer Gabriel Kittle-Cervine saw a person passed out on a Santa Cruz County sidewalk and gave them a wide berth. The encounter made him realize how desensitized we’ve all become to suffering. From houselessness at home to violence nationwide, oppression has become normalized, even among those who care deeply. Amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, local protests and growing calls for accountability, he challenges Santa Cruz County residents to confront the human cost of complacency and asks whether the county’s values truly align with the community it claims to be.
homelessness
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Housing Matters has lost its way
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident outlines what he sees as homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters losing its way.
Posted inLatest News
Tweaks to point-in-time count outreach could result in more accurate tally this year
Volunteers from all over Santa Cruz County met at the crack of dawn Thursday to conduct this year’s point-in-time count, an annual attempt to estimate the number of unhoused community members. While the count is never complete, housing professionals hope that a few changes to their strategy will help generate a more accurate count this year.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
We’re reducing homelessness in Santa Cruz County; now we must fight to keep the funding
Santa Cruz County is bucking national trends, significantly reducing homelessness through sustained investment, coordination and compassion, writes Mer Stafford, the chair of the Coalition to End Homelessness in Santa Cruz County. But, with this year’s point-in-time count happening Thursday, those gains are now at risk as state and federal funding for housing and homelessness programs face deep cuts. Losing this support would push hundreds of people back into homelessness and undo years of hard-won progress. Stafford urges residents to contact local and state leaders to protect the funding that’s working.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Sweeping encampments to ‘reduce’ homelessness is a Santa Cruz numbers game — not a solution
Clearing the Coral Street encampment days before the point-in-time count won’t house anyone — it just hides the problem, writes Food Not Bombs founder Keith McHenry. By scattering unhoused people out of sight, the City of Santa Cruz can claim progress while worsening daily survival. McHenry writes that he sees up to 200 people every week in rising meal lines in the city and folks complaining about lost tents and property. If Santa Cruz wants honest data and real solutions, he believes we have to stop mistaking displacement for success.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Can AI help make homeless Californians healthier?
A California company is using artificial intelligence to help diagnose homeless Californians. The technology promises better access to health care, but it also raises questions.
Posted inLatest News
Coral Street encampment cleared a week before PIT count
The City of Santa Cruz cleared an encampment near homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters on Coral Street on Wednesday, just over a week before the county’s annual 2026 point-in-time count of unhoused people.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Q&A: Housing for Health director predicts an increase in homelessness during this year’s point-in-time count
Robert Ratner, Santa Cruz County’s Housing for Health director, predicts that next week’s point-in-time count of unhoused people will show an increase in homelessness, which he attributes to federal and state funding cuts and more requests from unhoused residents for help.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville City Council moves forward with changes to its oversized vehicle ordinance
The Watsonville City Council has approved changes to a local law that could ban RVs and semitrucks from parking along public streets citywide. The ordinance is slated for a second hearing Feb. 10 before being formally adopted.
Posted inLatest News
‘Things are going to get better for me’: Resident moving into Watsonville ‘tiny village’ says the housing will provide her stability
Connie Moreno will be one of the first residents of Watsonville’s long-awaited “tiny village” for people living along the Pajaro River levee. She tells Lookout ahead of move-in day on Monday that the shelter offers stability after years of living along the levee.