County confronts homeless issues

The county is talking about measures to deal with homelessness with the arrival of cold winter temperatures and the establishment of a large homeless encampment in San Lorenzo Park.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors issued a news release Wednesday referencing the camp and talking about the steps they have already taken.
“Homelessness is a complex issue impacting communities across California, particularly Santa Cruz County and other coastal communities,” Homeless Services Coordinator Rayne Marr wrote. “We are working diligently on many levels to address homelessness. We have increased winter shelter beds and are working closely with our partners in the cities — particularly the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville — and in the community to address the problem.”
Among the measures taken, the county has:
• approved an agreement with the State Department of Health Care Services for an expansion of drug treatment services available to Medi-Cal patients in Santa Cruz County, which they estimate will more than double the number of Santa Cruz County Medi-Cal patients seeking drug treatment. Substance use disorder is a contributing factor to homelessness for many individuals.
• approved the hiring of two full-time positions in the Behavioral Health Division to support the County-run Mobile Emergency Response Team, a program that embeds mental health specialists with law enforcement agencies to help diffuse confrontations and better protect both the public and law enforcement officers.
• accepted an update on implementation of the Whole Person Care program, a $20 million program that benefits up to 1,000 County residents who suffer mental illness and/or substance use disorder, have multiple chronic health conditions and repeated hospitalizations, involvement with the criminal justice system and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
• accepted $600,000 in grants for the Health Services Agency to provide additional public health nurses at clinics in Watsonville and Santa Cruz to provide intensive case management for medically complex Medi-Cal patients, including homeless persons.
• approved a $100,000 agreement with the Recuperative Care Center, a 12-bed, 24-hour medical shelter for adults recently discharged from the hospital and who are homeless, to provide medical services through the county-run Homeless Persons Health Project.
• approved spending $250,000 to continue providing intoxication recovery services for up to 10 adults at the Recovery Center, which is operated by Janus of Santa Cruz.
• authorized the Department of Human Services to apply for the state’s Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, which assists homeless individuals with one or more disabling conditions obtain benefits and housing. If approved, services would include outreach, case management, advocacy and housing assistance, including temporary rent subsidies. The department has requested $721,277 and would provide and equal amount in matching funds, for a total program of $1.4 million.
• applied for two Medi-Cal Capacity Grant applications that, if approved, would supply additional medical equipment to the Watsonville Health Center and the Homeless Persons Health Project.
• heard an update on County efforts to locate a suitable site for a Day Services Center in partnership with Santa Cruz.
The most recent census of the homeless in Santa Cruz County was released on July 13 and was 2,249 people — an increase of about 14.5 percent since 2015. The count did not include an estimated 129 teenagers who have no permanent residence reported by the county Office of Education.
Read the latest county plan for homelessness attached at the left or on the county’s website, http://smartsolutionstohomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/HSP-FullReport-FINAL-Small.pdf.