Nonprofit organization creates storage program for Santa Cruz homeless community
The Warming Center Program, a nonprofit group in Santa Cruz is helping the homeless community with one of their most basic needs, storage.
Brent Adams, with The Warming Center Program says, “We recently conducted a survey of 50 people downtown and 75 percent of them identified storage as one of their basic needs. Their belongings were tying them down, with no safe place to keep them, so we’ve created a program to meet that need.”
They say having to carry around everything you own can hinder you in more ways than one. “Personal belongings identify homelessness. Carts, large backpacks, without that, a person can disappear into the crowd and not have to wear that label of homelessness,” says Adams.
Since the start of the program at the beginning of June, they say they have already seen four people who have entered the program go out and get jobs.
Jeramiah Maxey, a homeless community member, says he now recommends the program to others after using it himself.
“It benefited me a lot too because it minimized my load a lot so I was able to get more than just one thing done in a day. Basically, it made it to where I didn’t have to worry about my stuff either because I was confident in the fact that they had my stuff secure,” says Maxey.
The truck that stores all of the belongings parks behind Wheel Works near Laurel and Front Street each day, twice a day, from 7a.m. to 9a.m., then they are back from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“People show up. They sign a basic contract for what the contents can be and how long they have to access their belongings. Their conduct in the space here is also something they have to agree upon. They get a 20-gallon bin and we don’t ask for ID. We just get a photo of them,” says Adams.
About 70 people are currently using the program. Organizers are looking to get a bigger box truck or space so they can serve more people.
They say the program runs off of donations and will be starting a funding campaign soon in hopes of keeping the program up and running.
For more information on The Warming Center Program click here.
