Letter: Help for poor, homeless

EDITOR,
The recent tragic death of a homeless man in Boulder Creek should never have happened. The coroner determined that he died “of natural causes,” certainly brought on by the sad circumstances of his living on the street, exposed to rain and freezing-cold nights. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone — the 2011 Homeless Census found more than 2,750 homeless people in our county, and that is a conservative figure.
It takes several thousand dollars to move into a rental unit today, and often an online credit report is required, and proof of income. We desperately need single-occupancy residential units and even old-fashioned boarding homes to fill the great need for housing. The high cost of rent and utilities and ever-rising food prices have pushed not only single men, but also families with children into homelessness.
When the stock market crashed in 1929, it took almost 10 years for our country to recover. In the meantime, work was hard if not impossible to find. Many stood in lines for hours at soup kitchens that tried to ease the pain and suffering of hunger and deprivation. There were no food pantries, no homeless shelters, no free medical clinics, no counseling services and no alternative but to ride out the Great Depression as best one could.
We have come a long way. Today, there are many services for the disadvantaged. All one has to do is ask. Not only are there governmental services, but there are many nonprofit private organizations that exist solely to help the poor.
In the San Lorenzo Valley, we are most fortunate to have Valley Churches United Missions and the Mountain Community Resources center ready and willing to assist those in need.
This Tuesday, the United Way has set up the third annual Project Homeless Connect at the Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz. It is a full day of information and referral, from medical and dental screening to job counseling and substance-abuse counseling. At last count, more than 400 volunteers (many from local churches) planned to be there to help out.
Next Wednesday, April 18, at 6:15 p.m., at the Mountain Community Resources center in Felton (6134 Highway 9), the Community Action Board will meet to listen to low-income residents to determine how we can best serve them. If you feel you are underserved, that the rising costs of food and shelter are overwhelming, please let us know how we can help you. There is hope.
Catherine O’Kelly, Scotts Valley