Between January 2023 and January 2024, the city of Santa Cruz said it moved 184 people into stable housing. About twice as many people — 384 — were unsheltered as of the most recent annual homelessness Point-in-Time (PIT) count, an imperfect but useful tool deployed each January.
Despite the number of unsheltered residents, the city has no plans for adding another city-run shelter any time soon. Still, the PIT count did find a significant drop in homelessness within city limits (though the countywide number increased slightly). There were 36% fewer people experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz in January compared to the beginning of 2023, the count found.
At a public presentation this week over Zoom, homelessness response manager Larry Imwalle said the city has boosted its investment in shelter programs in recent years.
In response to a question about whether the city plans to expand its shelter capacity, he said, “we've added…165 shelter spaces in the last two years. So primarily we're working to try to maintain that.”
Now, the city’s top priorities for reducing homelessness include increased investment in affordable housing, interim housing, and community outreach programs.
But while existing shelter space is important for filling gaps in longer-term efforts, it’s often full. With no new shelter on the horizon, hundreds of Santa Cruz residents will have to keep waiting.
