Santa Cruz police to collaborate with Veterans Resource Center to help homeless veterans

A program to end veteran homelessness is a first of its kind for Santa Cruz, and officials hope it will be a long-term solution to the problem.

“It’s very hard to see a family living in their car and someone struggling without much food, or needing somewhere to stay at night because it’s so cold at night,” said Ingrid Trejo, regional site director at Veterans Resource Center in Santa Cruz.

That’s especially difficult when it’s someone who’s served this country.

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, more than 39,000 veterans sleep on the street any given night. Many of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or have substance abuse issues. Without help, Trejo said they remain vulnerable and will continue to languish.

They will not only be a danger to themselves, but sometimes to their communities.

“Those that are in crisis can certainly be very impactful to our community, and they are also very vulnerable at the same time,” said Santa Cruz deputy police chief Rick Martinez.

But now, through a unique pilot program, the Santa Cruz Police Department is working to connect homeless veterans with help available through the Veterans Resource Center.

“If we come across a veteran in the field that’s in crisis, … (and) they are in need of services, we can take them directly to the Veterans Resource Center. And from there, that warm hand off will equate to direct access for that veteran,” Martinez said.

That’s instead of what might have happened before, an arrest and jail time.

“This is direct access to services, and it’s something that we don’t have available for other population,” Martinez said.

With almost $6 million in federal funding, the Veterans Resource Center is hoping to end veteran homelessness.

“We keep approaching them and letting them know we are there, and most of the time it works,” Trejo said.

Trejo said the number of homeless veterans in Santa Cruz has been decreasing. Currently, there are 92 still on the street, and she hopes to get them all into housing in the next two months.