Santa Cruz County launches a housing and homelessness dashboard

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Santa Cruz County has launched a housing and homelessness dashboard which will allow the community to see how housing costs impacts homelessness in Santa Cruz County.

According to County officials they have added 80,000 people but only 26,000 housing units which leads to the increase in housing costs and people experiencing homelessness throughout the county.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition 2023 “Out of Reach” Report, Santa Cruz County is now the most expensive housing market for renters in the United States.

“The County has made significant investments to address these issues," Santa Cruz County Administrator Carlos Palacios said in a statement. "We want to be transparent with the community about the work we are doing and will continue to do as we work together to build a community that works for everyone.”

The dashboard will have data on the homeless population, including information on those enrolled in County-services such as emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, permanents supportive housing and transitional housing.

There will also be links to information about County programs such as the Rehousing Wave and mental health services, as well as the Housing for Health Partnership which is a coalition of local governments and nonprofit providers focused on reducing homelessness throughout the County.

The dashboard will feature 1,200 County-funded affordable rental units provided throughout the county, as well as another 200 either in construction or under development.

For more information on the dashboard visit here.