One of our goals at PeopleFirstSCC.org is to create a work environment that is truly enriching for everyone that is on our staff. Candice Elliott interviewed us on her podcast about how we do it:
Why does People First work the way we do?
Tag: Santa Cruz County
Well, 2024, We’re Here Whether We Like it or Not
I’m coming into 2024 with a lot on my mind. We recently had to say goodbye to our good friend Joshua Coffy. My father in law passed away this year. Burning Man was a mess…
Professionally, someone recently told me that what my org is doing is “meteoric.” Since being nothing but an idea at this time in 2020, as of Tuesday we have nine full time staff, and handful of part-time staff, a budget over $1 million, and are about to move into our first real office space. Our initial program housed 45% of it’s participants in it’s first 14 months. And, there is so much more coming in 2024. The possibilities and opportunities on the horizon in 2024 are truly mind-boggling to me. I find myself looking into the future, seeing a bunch of question marks, and taking actions today to get answers to those questions. It is a challenge that I find myself relishing – even though it is often stressful.
The next thing for me is really cementing the way that we provide services throughout the organization. One thing, of many, that is going to distinguish us over time is delivering very effective services. To do that, we are going to have to codify what that means internally. I’m excited for that. A cool thing about our organization being about growth, healing and ending homelessness is that the growth and healing happens on our team as well. Yet, if we are about that internally as well as externally, how do we manage the logistics of that? This is a question I’m eager to answer.
Local politics will also determine the trajectory of what my org is doing. There are sales tax measures on both the city and county ballots that may directly fund our programs, if passed. There are also three elections at the county supervisor level that will change what decisions get made in our entire region.
My daughter (facebook link) continues to amaze me in her short time working in acting and modeling.
And yet, all bets are off if Trump wins in November. The relative stability that has marked our country since the Great Depression will be in danger, if not outright gone immediately. Professionally, I sometimes worry that I’m re-arranging deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. No one’s life will improve in the long term if Donald Trump serves another term, and that reality is going to present all of us with challenging decisions to make.
If you read me regularly, you know that Democracy is a prime value to me. I understand and sympathize with folks who feel like our system is broken. I agree that it is broken. But we cannot throw it out to replace it with a dictator. Those of us who criticized him in 2015 turned out to be right – please listen to us now as we continue to criticize him. He will dismantle the very thing that does actually make America great. I’m sure this list is just a start.
Don’t Give Up On Us Now: A Community Gathering on Housing and Homelessness
We’re getting ready to have a great event coming up on October 12th. Check out the Eventbrite.
Free Guide Fundraiser 11/5
Raising money for the services at the Veterans Village of Ben Lomond
Hey all, just want to let you know that my organization – The Free Guide – is having it’s first fundraiser this Saturday, November 5th. You can check out the details on Eventbrite. Below are the posters:
Press on RV Safe Parking and Homelessness
Had a brief segment on KSBW
Got a good write up in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
If you noticed that the article in the Sentinel said that our wait list was 37, while the KSBW segment said that our wait list is nearly 50 – it’s because our list grew quite a bit in just two days.
Also gave my perspective on the shutdown of the Footbridge Services Center
Paid The Cost Podcast
Had an incredible conversation with Nativo on his Paid the Cost podcast at the end of August, about homelessness and my life in general. Here is the link to the episode itself.
Also, Alejandro (here’s his Instagram) made this incredible image of me, hearkening back to when I did outreach with people who are homeless and handed out cookies as part of that outreach…
On KSQD talking about Homelessness in Santa Cruz
I made an appearance on community radio
In case you want to hear me on the panel with a couple of homeless activists, (including Reggie from Santa Cruz Cares) hosted by Ami Chen Mills, talking about the current homeless situation in Santa Cruz – here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiJOP0MbSPA
In the Press; What’s next for our homeless population after an encampment is closed?
let’s create a plan
I’ve been relatively quiet on this blog recently. But since I’m being quoted in local press, I figure now is the time to share a little bit. In Santa Cruz County, it’s time to start shifting the conversation around homeless from complaining about it and reporting on the facts of it to talking about what it’ll take to actually end homelessness here.
In this article, that’s part of what I’m laying out in my quotes.
Yet, what it’s going to take to end homelessness here (or anywhere in this country) remains elusive. Even though I could be considered an expert on the topic, all I have to offer are educated guesses myself. What we need, at least in Santa Cruz County, is more refined data. With refined data, we can evaluate what sorts of programs are successful and make sure that we have programs to meet the needs of each person experiencing homelessness. To their credit, the county is coming up with a way to get more refined data on our homeless residents. With decent data, I think we can start to develop a plan to end homelessness here. If we have a plan, then we can evaluate each action that the community takes through the lens of that plan. Without a plan, we end up with what we already have: What seems to be (to someone who is outside of the decision making process) an unrelated series of decisions and events that may or may not lead to anything. Without a plan, we end up going from urgent issue to urgent issue, without necessarily thinking in the sort of long term way that’s needed to actually make a notable dent in this years long issue.
But data is also more than just data points. In order to have good policy, we need our people who are crafting policy to understand the problem outside of the raw data points itself. That’s why one of my organization’s goals is to provide education; about what it’s like to be homeless, what it’s like to be a service provider, and what challenges we all are facing as we grapple with this issue. We aim to provide this education to everyone, because every single one of us are in a position to influence policy.
You’re going to see some of that here on this blog, but if you want to be sure to see it more regularly you should connect with my org, The Free Guide, on social media. We are only at the stage where we have launched our socials, we have not mastered the art of social media at all. But as we get better at them, you’ll get a bunch more good content from us on this stuff:
Instagram: @thefreeguide
Twitter: @the_freeguide
Facebook: Santa Cruz Free Guide
Email: santacruzfreeguide@gmail.com or contact@thefreeguide.org
If you are a member of the media and reading this, I’m interested in any project that can help the general public understand the realities of homelessness. I think it is truly going to take community wide action to address this issue. So, fire away with any questions or assistance you may need.
Building A Veterans Village in Santa Cruz County
I am very excited that we are able to share the next step in this project that so many of us have been working on for so long. I’ll go ahead and post the press release here:
A proposal to purchase the former Jaye’s Timberlane Resort to provide permanent supportive housing for local veterans was accepted on November 10, 2021 in seemingly perfect preparation for the November 11th celebration of Veterans Day when the nation honors those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.
This “Veterans Village,” a first for Santa Cruz County, will provide a permanent affordable housing solution for veterans and their families, complete with on-site support services, amenities, outdoor recreation, and a supportive community of peers.
The Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building Board of Trustees (Vets Hall) teamed up with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz County Bank to secure funding for the project. Community Foundation Santa Cruz County will provide low-interest financing for the project in conjunction with Santa Cruz County Bank. The Community Foundation has also launched the Veterans Village Fund with a $75,000 matching grant. All donations in November up to $75,000 will be matched by the Community Foundation in honor of Veterans and their service to our country. Donations can be made here: www.cfscc.org/vetsvillage
“Our veterans cannot afford to live in Santa Cruz and many struggle to get by on their current benefits. As we see more veterans come home from Afghanistan in need of support and community, the time is now to develop a solution for permanent supportive housing for our Santa Cruz County veterans,” said Chris Cottingham, Executive Director of the Vets Hall.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building (Vets Hall) hosted a 24/7 Emergency Shelter for 16 months through their C.A.R.E. (Community Aid Resource Effort) Program, funded in part by a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation. It was then that Cottingham discovered there are currently 179 veterans in Santa Cruz County that are eligible for supportive housing funds; many of whom are in poor temporary living situations or homeless.
The Jaye’s Timberlane property in Ben Lomond has a four bedroom, three bath home plus office with 10 additional cabins with their own kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms on nearly six acres of land. The turnkey property will be able to house 16 veterans and their families and Vets Hall will develop a phase two project to develop further housing capacity on the land for a total capacity of 40 veterans.
“This project is led by veterans for veterans,” said Cottingham. “And the village atmosphere will support community as well as self-sufficiency.” Cottingham explained that the project has been nearly two years in the planning and as it becomes a reality, “it will be a community effort, using local services, vendors, and workers.”
“It takes a village to support the Vets Village,” said Susan True, CEO of the Community Foundation. “Purchasing this property makes a significant step towards ending homelessness for our veterans and we’re honored to work with the Vets Hall, Santa Cruz County Bank, and generous community members to help solve local challenges together.”
Instrumental support on this project came from Veterans Village Committee members and supporters: Veterans of Forgeign Wars, American Legion, United Veterans Coalitions, and Support Services for Veteran Families; Santa Cruz Free Guide; Robert Ratner with the Housing for Health Division of Santa Cruz County; Front Street Paget Center; and Supervisors Manu Koenig & Bruce McPherson, realtor Paul Zech, Jack Tracey, Lynda Francis, David Pedley, Stoney Brooks, and Keith Collins.
About Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building
Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building is a 501(c)3 non-profit who since 1995 has committed to first supporting the Santa Cruz County Veterans and the community as a whole. In partnership with the County of Santa Cruz and the United Veterans Council, they operate the Veterans Memorial Building located in Downtown Santa Cruz. Their unique model of business allows them to use the Vets Hall facility and the revenue generated, to provide support and services for Veterans and their families in the Santa Cruz area. Learn more at https://www.veteranshall.org/
About Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
Since 1982, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County has brought together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things. The Community Foundation helps donors and their advisors invest wisely in causes they care about, to provide grants and resources to community organizations, and to offer leadership around key local issues. The Foundation manages more than $187 million in charitable assets and provides customized and tax-smart giving solutions that resulted in more than $21 million in grants in 2020. Thanks to generous donors, over $131 million in local grants and scholarships have been awarded locally since 1982. The Community Foundation seeks to make Santa Cruz County thrive for all who call it home, now and in the future. Learn more at www.cfscc.org
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This project has come this far because of a community effort. If you have time, effort or resources to donate please feel free to comment or email me directly at evan@thefreeguide.org
If you would like to donate money to this project, you can do so here: https://cfscc.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=3442
Press so far:
KSBW: https://www.ksbw.com/article/santa-cruz-resort-homeless-veterans-support/38228232
SLV Press Banner: https://pressbanner.com/vets-village-provides-sustainable-housing-for-homeless-veterans/
Good Times:
UPDATE: Here is a good update on how far this project has progressed as of September 2022
The Second Wave of Coronavirus is Already Here
I’m very frustrated looking at the data on what is going on with COVID-19 in the US. I’m frustrated because this virus spreads when people are circulating together, and we’re opening up and having more people circulate together. My home county of Santa Cruz hasn’t even finished opening up, and it is already experiencing it’s second wave.
The source of that graph is here. I know Santa Cruz has relatively low numbers, it is the smallest county in California – however this info is unmistakable at this point.
The data for California (found here) is even more amazing – in the sense that there does not appear to even be a peak in cases yet. It is absolutely not the time to be easing shelter at home restrictions if we want to beat this virus. The headline I wrote for this blog is accurate for Santa Cruz County, statewide the first wave isn’t even over yet.
Nationally, the next week or so will tell us a lot. Will the recent rise in total new cases continue, or will the slightly falling overall trend keep up? With the amount of people protesting and generally circulating again, I’m guessing it will go up. But the next week, and possibly the week after that, will tell us if that guess is correct. Here is the data from the CDC:
Looking at national numbers isn’t terribly useful for fighting this disease, at least not in a country as large and diverse in population density as ours. But national numbers do tell us an overall trend. What’s alarming is that we’re nowhere near staunching the tide of new people getting this disease, yet we’re opening up as if we are. I’m planning accordingly, I hope you all are as well.
Evan Morrison's Blog 