Santa Cruz County released an initial overview Friday of results of the Feb. 28 point-in-time homeless count, and there was good and bad news. Housing For Health Director Robert Ratner will go more in-depth with the county’s board of supervisors on Tuesday.
Point-in-time count
Coverage of efforts to count Santa Cruz County’s homeless population.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘Still optimistic’: Homeless count leaders unfazed by early-morning challenges, hold out hope for a fitting metric
Despite the anecdotal difficulties experienced by groups who attempted to count the visible unsheltered homeless Monday morning, Santa Cruz County leaders say they are confident the point-in-time number will still be representative of the area’s immense problem.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Now that California has counted up its homeless population, can it track the money?
Volunteers fanned out across the state for the first statewide count of California’s homeless population since 2020. The number is expected to be higher, raising more questions about the impact of the state’s increased spending.
Posted inCoast Life
Here’s what putting a number on homelessness looked like, from Santa Cruz to Watsonville & beyond
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.
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 inCoast Life
Unhoused Santa Cruz: The struggle for families is real — and for one family, tragedy followed triumph
The number of families experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz County continues to increase despite the efforts by local leaders to prioritize them. Lookout learned that the number hit a two-year high in January after spiking by 27% over the past six months. One family saw the hard work needed to get rehoused finally pay off. During their day of celebration, tragedy struck.
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
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.