Tracking the shift in homeless population from Santa Cruz to Watsonville
Santa Cruz County is addressing a rising homeless population in Watsonville after seeing a significant shift from the city of Santa Cruz.
As the homeless population shifts from Santa cruz to Watsonville, officials are focusing on investing in south county to address the growing need.
Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday discussed the 2024 Point-In-Time Count.
While the homeless census showed the population went down in the city of Santa Cruz, the city of Watsonville and all other parts of the county showed an increase.
"I think there is a correlation to why we are seeing a reduction in the number of unhoused in the northern part of the county," Housing for Health Division said. "There's been a long history of less investment in services in South County, and there is a profound and disturbing increase in the number of unsheltered."
In the recent board meeting, officials highlighted the need for increased investments in South County services.
This would be to balance the inequities in resources between the South and North counties.
"Where we invest collective energy, we can see results. so we need to balance out those investments countywide to see results consistently countywide," Robert Ratner Housing for Health Director said.
The Housing for Health Division is collaborating with the Behavioral Health Department to develop one hundred and eighty new permanent supportive housing units.
This will be done over the next few years and include two locations in Watsonville, Tabasa Gardens and Sparrow Terrace.
Once developed, the site will initially serve individuals living in encampments along the Pajaro River.
"We’re continuing our efforts to address homelessness in our community so we have boots on the ground," Michelle Pulido Watsonville PIO said. "We’re really trying to know exactly what is it that these individuals need and what kind of resources are there."
The city of Watsonville is expected to review the shelter plans and construction is set to start by the end of 2024.
The city is holding a meeting scheduled for October 5th to gather as much community input to help them develop our homeless strategic plan.
