Santa Cruz County Local News: Homelessness


All Local Homelessness News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Working together with many volunteers, this crew feeds 65,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.
California’s Oldest Food Bank Pays It Forward

For the food-insecure community in Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest Food Bank feeds the need.

Image caption: Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, says the organization researches areas of need to help donors direct their contributions.
What Is a Community Foundation?

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

Image caption: Santa Cruz is lucky to have local groups that look beneath the surface of homeless encampments and find ways to help.
Doing the Work

Experts see these organizations as the most effective at fighting homelessness.

Image caption: A city-sanctioned homeless encampment directly adjacent to county government offices and across the San Lorenzo River from the heart of downtown Santa Cruz.
How the City and County Work on the Homelessness Crisis

As the population of unhoused individuals and families in Santa Cruz has exploded, officials from the City of Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County tackle the issue.

Image caption: The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

05/07/2024
The California Coastal Commission is set to consider an appeal of the City of Santa Cruz ban on overnight parking mandated by the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

05/02/2024
Image for display with article titled State Report on Homeless Services Calls for More Accountability

A recent state report about two California cities’ homeless services spending echoes concerns raised in a 2023 Santa Cruz Local investigation about how money is spent on homeless services in Santa Cruz County.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

05/02/2024
The City of Santa Cruz cleared an encampment used by 30-40 people from the Harvey West Friendship Park on May 1.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

05/01/2024
Image for display with article titled Updated: The California Exodus: How the Housing Crisis Weakens the State Politically

Unless California solves its housing crisis, the state will lose more congressional seats and could shift the political alignment of the whole country

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

04/26/2024
Image for display with article titled Homeless Shelter Project in Watsonville to Break Ground in June

Construction will begin in June on a 34-unit community of small temporary dwellings based at Westview Presbyterian Church in Watsonville, after the Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved agreements to build and manage the facility.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

04/24/2024
A 34-unit tiny home village for people displaced when Pajaro was flooded will begin construction in Watsonville on a church-owned parcel in Watsonville.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

04/19/2024
Image for display with article titled ‘Nuisance’ Homeless Camp on Airport Blvd. Approved for Clearing, Cleanup

In a weed-strewn, vacant lot on Airport Boulevard Tuesday, Bryan Hilgeman was busy around his makeshift tarp dwelling where he lives, along with about 40 people in the unsanctioned homeless camp.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

04/11/2024
Image for display with article titled Backers of California Homeless Camp Ban Cite ‘Successful’ San Diego Law. But Is It?

A new bill would make it illegal for homeless residents to camp in certain places, such as near schools, throughout California. Its authors say such a ban has had great success in San Diego. But a closer look at that city paints a more nuanced picture.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

04/10/2024
In its April 9 meeting, the Watsonville City Council voted to seek contractor bids to clear out a homeless camp from the nearly 2-acre lot on Airport Boulevard.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/09/2024
There’s so little data available, it’s impossible to even tell if several of California’s largest homelessness programs are working, according to a statewide audit released Tuesday.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/06/2024
I thought my journalism and others’ could change policy, perhaps even inspire a New Deal-style response equal to the challenge. Such was my naivetĂ©.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

04/04/2024
Image for display with article titled Exploring Directions for Watsonville’s Homeless Population

A special joint council meeting Saturday brought together Watsonville City Council, City Manager Rene Mendez, other city and county leaders and the public for a discussion of the swelling homeless problem.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

04/03/2024
Local homeless and housing rights activist Reggie Meisler filed a challenge to the renewal of the City of Santa Cruz large-vehicle parking ban.

California Local Pin Marker From Lookout Local...

04/02/2024
The passage of California Proposition 1 is leaving local mental health and homeless service providers with questions as to the impact in the count.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

03/26/2024
Image for display with article titled Rising Homelessness in Watsonville Prompts New Strategies

Watsonville city leaders have started to craft a coordinated effort to fight rising homelessness. 

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

03/21/2024
Legislation would fast-track approval for temporary or relocatable housing on vacant land when local shelter emergencies arise.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

03/08/2024
Santa Cruz Cares and American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California are among those seeking to overturn Santa Cruz Planning Commission approval in February of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

02/29/2024
Image for display with article titled Progress Highlighted on Homeless Services in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz city leaders on Wednesday said 121 unhoused people moved into permanent housing in the city since 2022, and hundreds more were served by homeless service programs. They also renewed calls for more city money to address homelessness because millions in one-time funds are expected to run out in July.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

02/29/2024
Image for display with article titled Watsonville City Council Targets RV Parking, Adds Homeless Services

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved $200,000 for a new homelessness outreach program. Separately, Watsonville police plan to add a new police service specialist to write tickets to illegally parked cars and RVs.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/27/2024
“Street releases” have resumed after the nonprofit that operated a migrant welcome center announced its “finite resources have been stretched to the limit.”
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