Housing Matters board chair Ray Bramson’s recent Lookout op-ed twists the narrative on homeless day services at the Santa Cruz nonprofit, writes advocate David Davis. Davis has worked at the Homeless Persons Health Project for 10 years and at the Coral Street campus for 15 years, and believes Housing Matters’ claims about reach and housing placements significantly overstate the facts. Bramson wrote his piece in response to Davis’ critical Lookout letters to the editor. Davis writes that Housing Matters’ decision to stop offering day services, including showers and mail access, at its Coral Street campus in March is short-sighted and more about optics on Coral Street than residents’ well-being.
Housing Matters
Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage of Santa Cruz homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Housing Matters has helped thousands; let’s argue about homelessness and day services honestly
OPINION: A recent letter to the editor echoes real frustration about homelessness in our community, but relies on factual inaccuracies about Housing Matters, writes Ray Bramson, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors.
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
Mental health organization MHCAN hopes to resume its services; supervisors move to fill Housing Matters mail void
County behavioral health staff met this week with members of the Mental Health Client Action Network board of directors, who say they want to resume services within six months — but need to get past obligations paid first. On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors took steps to prepare for homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters ending its day services in March, particularly the mail services that are a lifeline for many vulnerable residents.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
City, county of Santa Cruz formally begin process to replace Housing Matters’ day services
The Santa Cruz City Council moved to form a group of city and county staff members to begin exploring options to replace the day services that homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters is poised to halt at the end of March. Staff are expected to return no later than Feb. 28 with a recommendation.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Closing Housing Matters’ day services won’t hurt just the unhoused — it will push the working poor closer to crisis
The planned closure of Housing Matters’ day services – including public showers, bathrooms and mail access — is being framed as affecting only people experiencing homelessness, but it will also hit Santa Cruz’s working poor who rely on these essentials, writes housing scholar Erin Gaede.
Posted inLatest News
Packages, family letters and social security: Inside the final months of a tiny Santa Cruz mail room that provides a lifeline for the homeless
In a room barely larger than a cubicle, 1,710 lives intersect through benefits, letters from family, bulletin boards and daily routines. The Housing Matters’ mail room reveals how something as simple as a physical address can underpin survival and dignity for the region’s unhoused. The mail room is slated to close in March, along with other day services at the Coral Street campus. Local officials are racing to find a replacement.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Bob Dylan tribute show at Kuumbwa Jazz to raise funds for Housing Matters
Housing Matters will be the beneficiary of a Nov. 21 tribute to Bob Dylan at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center to help raise money for the Santa Cruz nonprofit’s shelters and other programs.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why are Housing Matters’ vital day services for unhoused people being closed?
OPINION: Housing Matters — Santa Cruz County’s largest homelessness nonprofit — plans in March to shut down its Coral Street day services, including public showers, bathrooms and a mailroom. The closure comes with no clear transition plan, writes Marsa Greenspan, a former Housing Matters employee.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Housing Matters is trampling its legacy with locked gates and kiosks
In a letter to the editor, a Santa Cruz resident expresses dismay at nonprofit Housing Matters ending its day services for the homeless community.