As the homeless population moves from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, officials plan to invest in services in South County

Santa Cruz County’s homeless population has shifted from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, and officials see an inequity in the investment of homeless-related resources between north and south counties, Social Services Director Randy Morris said as he outlined plans for a new shelter and other services at Tuesday’s meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

“I think there’s a connection between why we’re seeing a decline in the homeless population in the northern part of the county” and the growing problem in Watsonville, Morris said.

Historically, South County has invested less in services, he said. A “point in time” report from the county’s Housing for Health Division shows that homelessness in the city of Santa Cruz has dropped 36%, while in Watsonville, the number has increased 60%.

To address these inequities, Housing for Health plans to open two shelters with comprehensive services to help people find housing, said Robert Ratner, director of Housing for Health. One is in Watsonville and the other is in Live Oak.

The planned 34-bed shelter in Watsonville is part of a partnership with Monterey County that has secured $8 million in funding. The project is still pending approval from the city of Watsonville.

Ratner said Housing for Health also has allocated $500,000 to the South County Homeless Prevention Program and is expanding the Homekey transitional youth housing project in Watsonville.

“I want to take a moment to really appreciate the scale of the investment in South County,” said District 2 Supervisor Zach Friend. “This has not been the historical norm, and the fact that the county and the board are focusing on this is important.”

Ratner also addressed what he said is public confusion over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order encouraging the destruction of homeless encampments. Instead of immediately removing encampments without a plan, Ratner said, the executive order calls on cities and counties to first adopt local policies to address homelessness.

Before the county addresses the encampments, Housing for Health needs to make sure those services are available to people, Morris said.

Housing for Health will provide its next update to county supervisors in 12 months instead of six months, according to the board’s vote Tuesday. The board also voted to send a letter to the governor’s office detailing progress and pointing out the need for more funding.

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