Survey reports fewer homeless in SLV, SV

The number of homeless people in the San Lorenzo Valley and in Scotts Valley has decreased sharply since a similar study two years ago.
That’s according to a recent census. However, word on the street is that the snapshot study taken on one day in January doesn’t tell the whole story.
Overall, Santa Cruz County saw a drop of 19 percent, or 524 people, in its homeless population between 2007 and 2009, said Peter Connery, project director for the 2009 Santa Cruz County Homeless Census and Survey. The census was conducted by Applied Survey Research in January 2009 and took place in every town and unincorporated area of the county.
“This is counterintuitive to a lot of folks who think that the housing crisis naturally led to an increase,” said Connery.
The trend in lowered homelessness was reflected locally as well, according to the census data.
The study found the number of the homeless in the San Lorenzo Valley dropped from 437 in 2007 to 391 in 2009.
In Scotts Valley, the drop was even more dramatic, as the number of homeless dropped from 72 to zero.
To address the drop to zero in the number of Scotts Valley transients, Connery stressed that the census is a snapshot — “and if someone was not in the frame when we took the picture, they were not counted.”
Connery went on to say that the research revealed another interesting aspect of homelessness in Santa Cruz County:
“A notable fact is that 62 percent of those surveyed were living in this county when they became homeless rather than relocating here, which is not what most folks think.”
The methodology for the survey, according to the report, was to send a homeless adviser and a volunteer from the local community to canvass a given area from 5 to about 11 a.m.
For Scotts Valley, Paul O’Brien, a consultant with the Homeless Action Partnership, found a man who had been homeless in town before moving away, and the man became O’Brien’s partner for the count.
“We checked all the likely places,” said O’Brien, “and we just never came across a single person.”
Scotts Valley police Sgt. Mike Dean has worked closely with the homeless in Scotts Valley and estimates there are 10 to 15 regulars in town.
“We do have homeless in Scotts Valley,” Dean said.
Dean noted that there aren’t visible homeless people living under bushes or behind buildings in sleeping bags, as you might find in Santa Cruz, but that the majority live out of their cars or in trailers on private property.
“Most (homeless) people who do reside here in Scotts Valley — all but one — actually have employment,” Dean said.
Most work in retail or at gas stations, and one man collects recyclables and takes odd jobs.
“They’re all trying and doing their best to get by,” Dean said.
The research indicating a decrease in the homeless population of San Lorenzo Valley is also surprising, according to those in the area.
“We are scratching our heads about some of the findings,” O’Brien said, adding that he sees many homeless people in the woods when he walks between Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton and his home in Ben Lomond.
Linda Lovelace, director of Valley Churches United Mission, which provides food and other services to the needy, said she has seen the same relative number of homeless over the past two years.
“We have a known group that comes steadily,” said Lovelace, “but the biggest increase we have seen is people coming from Scotts Valley.”
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