Youth Homelessness Rising In Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The City of Santa Cruz has more homeless people, but many in Watsonville — especially young people — are struggling, according to data released Monday by the county.

Santa Cruz County's 2019 Point-In-Time count shows 2,167 people were homeless countywide, a slight decline from two years ago, despite rising homelessness in many areas around the state. The City of Santa Cruz included the highest number of homeless persons of any jurisdiction, with 1,197. That was followed by unincorporated Santa Cruz County, with 515, and Watsonville, with 370.

Chronic homelessness was reduced by one-third since 2017. However, youth homelessness is trending upward, and the local housing market is severely inhibiting the transition to permanent housing, with rental assistance and more affordable housing cited as top needs by homeless persons.

The biennial point-in-time count does not, however, capture all those experiencing housing instability, including adults and children living with friends and family, or those in hotels, hospitals or jails on the night of the count.

While the County Office of Education and local school districts helped identify 75 students and family members experiencing homelessness, the Pajaro Valley School District also counted 3,304 "students in transition" living with friends or family during the 2018-19 school year, a figure not represented in the point-in-time count.

The total of 2,167 homeless persons counted countywide represents a 3.6 percent decline from 2017. Nearly one-third of homeless are employed, and three-quarters lived in Santa Cruz County before becoming homeless. Thirty-nine percent reported a disabling condition impacting their ability to live independently; approximately 30 percent reported suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and/or other psychiatric or emotional conditions; and loss of employment was the leading cause of homelessness. One in 10 reported increasing rent as the cause of their homelessness, a figure that has more than doubled since the last report.

The numbers in the 2019 report represent a one-time snapshot of homelessness on a particular night in Santa Cruz County — January 31, 2019.

The full report will be posted on the website of Applied Survey Research, https://www.appliedsurveyresearch.org.