Quick Take
Nearly 90% of people experiencing homelessness have endured significant trauma before the age of 18. And those who have adverse childhood experiences are also more likely to develop serious mental health conditions, writes Kevin Norton, a public health professional and trauma survivor. He urges Santa Cruz County to expand trauma screening and public education, especially if we want to truly support unhoused people.
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Imagine slipping on a pair of glasses that let you see the full life story of every person you pass on the street. Not a virtual reality headset — but something more powerful: an understanding of trauma and how it shapes the people around us.
You might look differently at the parent yelling harshly at their child in the grocery store. Or the man popping wheelies on a motorcycle as though life means nothing. Two young men fighting outside a bar. Someone lighting a cigarette or slipping into a cycle of drug use. Prostitutes working the street at night.
Instead of judging, you might pause and ask: What happened to them?
Many behaviors we’re quick to criticize are actually rooted in something we rarely see — trauma. Childhood trauma, studied under the name adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), includes things like abuse, neglect, growing up with a caregiver who has an addiction or mental illness, witnessing violence, bullying, abandonment by a parent, divorce or having someone in the household be incarcerated before the age of 18. Two-thirds of Americans have experienced at least one ACE.
I’m one of them.
For people experiencing homelessness, the numbers are even more staggering. Studies show that roughly 90% of unhoused individuals have faced childhood trauma. A majority have endured four or more kinds of ACEs — levels that researchers say can deeply harm the brain, nervous system, immune system and long-term health.
Right here in Santa Cruz County, this is not an abstract issue. A 2023 civil grand jury report revealed that we have the highest rate of homelessness per capita in California. That’s not just an affordable housing problem — it’s a trauma problem.
On an overcast April afternoon on Shaffer Road in Santa Cruz, I met Abhinav Sharma, a 41-year-old living out of his SUV since 2020. Well-spoken, clean and thoughtful, he didn’t fit the stereotype. But he carries scars from a painful past.
Sharma grew up in a tense home. Physical punishment was common — slaps from parents or relatives, even into adulthood. “My mom slapped me even when I was 25,” he said, not with anger, but as a fact. He also disclosed childhood sexual abuse and the suicide of a close family member, both events that left lasting emotional damage.
His ACE score? A very high 5. For context: Someone with a score of 4 is 460% more likely to suffer from depression than someone with a score of 0, while a score of 5 makes someone 7 to 10 times more likely to have an illicit substance addiction. Fortunately, Sharma is sober and overcoming the odds, but he still struggles with depression today. If he had scored 6 on the ACEs test, he would be at risk of dying 20 years earlier than the average American.
The first ACEs study, launched in the mid-1990s, has radically changed how we understand mental illness and homelessness. High ACE scores are linked not only to depression and addiction but also to conditions like schizophrenia. A study from 2023 found that the odds of developing schizophrenia were 2.44 times higher for people with ACEs than those without them.
The science is clear: Mental health isn’t only about genetics. A child’s environment — especially if it includes chronic stress, abuse or neglect — can actually “switch on” harmful genes for children, increasing the risk of both mental and physical health problems for the rest of their lives.
Think of the people you see on the street with severe mental illness. All of them were once sweet, innocent children. Some of their suffering might have been prevented with earlier intervention.
We often hear, “Why don’t they just get a job?” But trauma doesn’t simply disappear. It changes how people think, relate and cope, and it can take a long time to heal.
Of course, not everyone with trauma turns to self-destructive behaviors — but many do. Sharma struggled with alcohol for 17 years. His turning point came when he found people he could finally open up to about his trauma. Sharing his story brought healing. He even feels a sense of purpose now: helping others.
Fortunately, a handful of Medi-Cal providers have begun screening for ACEs, although Medicaid funding is now on the chopping block. Meanwhile, some departments within Santa Cruz County schools are educating staff members about ACEs. That’s a good step toward prevention.
The good news is that healing is possible — and it often starts with awareness. For many people, simply learning about ACEs helps them understand their pain in a new light. It gives language to long-buried feelings and becomes the first step toward self-compassion and lasting change.
Every child in our community should grow up safe and supported, so they can avoid homelessness later on in life. In Montessori education, they talk about creating spaces that “honor the child.”
Why not build a society that does the same?
If we’re serious about addressing homelessness, we must start earlier — by screening more children for ACEs and helping a critical mass of the community understand the role trauma plays in shaping health. Santa Cruz County should follow the example of other forward-thinking counties with “train the trainer” programs that educate 5 to 10% of its population about this life-changing research.
The science of trauma is where germ theory was in the late 1800s — powerful, evidence-based, and still struggling to break into mainstream culture. Just as hospitals began saving lives in earnest only once they adopted handwashing and sanitation, we won’t make real progress on issues like homelessness, addiction, mental illness, autoimmune diseases and even crime until we fully recognize the impact of early trauma. The evidence is here. The time to act is now.
As Sharma put it, “Once you know what’s bothering you, you can fix it.”
Of course, more affordable housing will go a long way to support the homeless. I’m encouraged that efforts like Santa Cruz’s Workforce Housing Affordability Act are already underway; however, we need to do more to see people not just for where they are today, but what they have overcome.
And it starts with being compassionate towards ourselves. You can take the ACEs quiz here.
Kevin Norton holds a master’s of public health degree from the University of Florida and lives on Santa Cruz’s Westside. He can be reached at healthysantacruz@gmail.com.