By Phil Kramer
Ending homelessness is possible. That may sound audacious, or just plain unrealistic.
While people fall on hard times and find themselves in the crisis of homelessness, ending homelessness one person or family at a time is something our community does nearly every day.
But we can do better.
We can create a rapid response system to shelter and support nearly every unhoused neighbor in our community on a pathway to housing. Many of the best practices we hear about in other communities that are making big strides in reducing and ending homelessness are already in place and working here in Santa Cruz County.
And the City of Santa Cruz just gave us good reason to believe our collective community response to the crisis of homelessness will be even more effective.
The city recently released its three-year Homelessness Response Action Plan, which has identified five critical action areas, with accompanying goals, to create a highly effective set of strategies to end homelessness for more of our unhoused neighbors.
The city’s plan is comprehensive. It focuses on building capacity and partnerships through community engagement, expanding affordable and supportive housing, providing basic support services, delivering effective care for unhoused residents, and an expanded community safety strategy.
This plan, in concert with the county’s Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz: A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness, provides an integrated and aligned response that leverages best practices, marshals critical resources, and tracks measurable outcomes.
In my 10 years working to end homelessness in Santa Cruz County, this is the strongest city-county partnership I’ve seen. It inspires confidence and hope.
There are many causes of homelessness – poverty, racial and income inequality, access to physical and mental health resources, substance use disorders, and the lack of affordable very low-income housing are a few. But there’s only one comprehensive solution: housing.
Progress is already being made. People are being housed – 462 households were helped into long-term housing last year, according to county figures. Still, every day we see the effects of not having enough emergency shelter, supportive services and affordable housing in our community. More people are becoming unhoused in Santa Cruz County than we’re able to help house in a given period of time. This problem is not unique to Santa Cruz.
Creating a response system that ends homelessness for everyone will have a ripple effect across the community, beyond improving the situation for people experiencing homelessness. We could expect to see fewer emergency service calls, lower costs to taxpayers in the long run, fewer environmental clean-ups, reduction in substance abuse, and more people getting mental health treatment, and an overall improved economy.
This is the right time, and Santa Cruz County is the right place to show how an effective community wide response to homelessness can improve the health and well-being for all.
We all have a part to play to resolve homelessness in our community. Supporting the city’s new three-year plan is a great place to start.
Phil Kramer is Chief Executive Officer of Housing Matters.
