As Santa Cruz County attempted to put a number to its homeless population for the first time since 2019 early Monday morning with the biennial “point-in-time” count, Lookout’s team of journalists embarked on ride-alongs with some of those involved with the enumeration. The number of people visible to count was surprising to many involved.
homelessness
Posted inCoast Life
Unhoused Santa Cruz: A ‘proper place’ for the homeless? Push to spread the burden stirs NIMBY backlash
Neighborhoods are receiving little advance information about newly streamlined projects, as the state of California and the county of Santa Cruz move to rapidly build new housing. As Project Homekey-funded projects pop up around the county, we see pushback in Soquel, and maybe more widely. Lookout takes a closer look at the community whiplash and the likely growing pains ahead.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Unhoused Santa Cruz: On the ground, Santa Cruz counts its homeless
On Monday, about 100 people will comb the county and Lookout’s correspondent team will be with them, filing reports on what could be an important tool in countering homelessness.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
L.A.’s $1.2-billion bond measure may not be enough to tackle homelessness, audit finds
Costs for Proposition HHH-funded projects continued to rise and only half the projects are set to be ready for occupancy by 2023, the audit found.
Posted inCoast Life
Unhoused Santa Cruz: Three universal truths about why this county remains among the capitals of homelessness
In this first part of a three-part Sunday series, Lookout digs into the questions surrounding homelessness in Santa Cruz County. First up, how has a beautiful place with a progressive and generous population become a statewide epicenter for the needy?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
One man’s lonely journey through California’s plan to end homelessness
The pandemic gave a chronically homeless veteran in Los Angeles a chance at permanent supportive housing, but his experience differed from what state leaders envision. Can California offer the right support as it adds tens of thousands of new units?
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How many are homeless in Santa Cruz County? An already COVID-delayed count pushed by Omicron
Though the Point-In-Time Count normally happens every two years, next month will be the first time Santa Cruz County’s unhoused have been tallied since before the pandemic. And that date itself was pushed back a month due to the Omicron surge. The last time — in January 2019 — the unhoused totaled 2,167 people, though many believe the current number is far greater.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘We need more safe spaces’: As more weather approaches, city, homelessness advocates seek solutions
With another stretch of inclement weather on the way, the city of Santa Cruz looks to mitigate the impact on the unhoused — particularly those rooted at the Benchlands encampment along the San Lorenzo River.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Just in time for Veterans Day: Village for homeless vets becomes a reality with site in Ben Lomond
The former Jaye’s Timberlane Resort will house as many as 40 in its dwellings. “This project is led by veterans for veterans,” said Vets Hall executive director Chris Cottingham. “And the village atmosphere will support community as well as self-sufficiency.”
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘It saved my life’: Ex-Marine David Pedley gives back, helping homeless vets as he was once helped
David Pedley, who served in the Marines for 13 years, came to Santa Cruz in 2018 with nowhere to go and not much to live on. He was homeless for four months, but is now a building manager for Vets Hall, working to get other veterans the housing he once desperately needed.