The Trump administration wants to shift more money to homeless shelters that require sobriety, a change that would disrupt California’s “housing first” policies and threaten to put nearly 15,000 Californians back on the street.
homelessness
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: Coral Street toilet shortage a stark contrast to local pandemic response – why doesn’t public health matter more?
Portable toilets miles away aren’t enough to solve the loss of public bathrooms and showers on Coral Street in Santa Cruz, the Lookout Editorial Board writes. Our local leaders actively took on public health issues when they confronted COVID-19. Now, they must end the slow and bureaucratic response to the Coral Street crisis before we have a public health emergency.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Citing budgetary woes, Housing Matters moves to decrease capacity at Rebele Family Shelter and Recuperative Care Center
Homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters announced Friday that it will reduce capacity at the Rebele Family Shelter on Coral Street and its off-site recuperative care center at the former Salt Air Lodge on Leibrandt Avenue, as both are “operating with significant budgetary deficits.” CEO Phil Kramer said the move is likely to take place over the next month or so, but none of the current occupants will be forced out early.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Did Newsom’s $3.8 billion hotels-to-housing program pay off? We filed 100 records requests to find out
Records analyzed by CalMatters provide a first-of-its-kind look into how California’s historical investment in homeless housing played out.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California blocks Trump administration from withholding homelessness funds
California for now has prevented the Trump administration from changing priorities in homelessness funding to favor temporary shelters rather than long-term housing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
City, county have some interim replacements for shuttering day services, but long-term solutions remain uncertain
With the closure of Housing Matters’ day services less than a week away, the city and county of Santa Cruz have worked to get some interim replacements ready to go come next Wednesday. However, long-term solutions are still unclear. Community organizations have expressed interest in providing services, but nothing is solidified. The city is also exploring ways to implement more permanent public hygiene facilities.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A new homelessness strategy is sweeping California
A Santa Clara County homelessness prevention program is showing promising results as advocates push to spread it statewide and nationally.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz City Council takes first step to rezone Coral Street for expanded temporary housing, homeless services
The Santa Cruz City Council voted to rezone the Coral Street area to allow expanded homeless services and temporary housing, taking the first step toward creating a Coral Street Overlay District envisioned in a 2023 plan for a centralized services campus. A final vote is set for March 24.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians off coverage
A majority of California’s roughly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness have health insurance through Medi-Cal. Providers predict that many will lose insurance under President Donald Trump’s upcoming work mandates even if they qualify for exemptions.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz County failed our most vulnerable during extreme weather
Santa Cruz County failed its unhoused residents during weeks of severe winter storms by not activating its extreme weather shelters, despite having staff, supplies and facilities ready, writes Sara Coon, an overnight site manager for the extreme weather shelter hosted by People First of Santa Cruz County. She believes narrow policies ignored the deadly risk of prolonged exposure to cold, rain and flooding, leaving people without dry clothing or warmth and contributing to preventable deaths. This was not a lack of resources, she writes, but a failure of leadership that demands immediate reform.
