ERIN CLARK IS OFF TONIGHT. ## WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH EFFORTS IN SANTA CRUZ TO MOVE PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREET INTO HOUSING. THE EFFORT IS BEING FUNDED BY A GRANT FROM THE STATE. ACTION NEWS 8 REPORTER JAKE FLORES IS LIVE IN SANTA CRUZ WITH HOW THAT MONEY WILL BE SPENT.. JAKE? DAN.. THE CITY HAS RECEIVED $4 MILLION DOLLARS..AND WILL USE THAT TO ADDRESS AREAS WITH A HIGH UNSHELTERED UNHOUSED. VO- THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ IS RECEIVING FOUR MILLION DOLLARS TO HELP SOME OF THE CITY'S HOMELESS POPULATION OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS SOT VID 6327 4:45-5:01 LARRY IMWALLE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE MANAGER FOR CITY OF SANTA CRUZ <THE FOCUS OF THIS GRANT IS TO WORK WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN ENCAMPMENTS IN THE HARVEY WEST PARK, HARVEY WEST BOULEVARD AND CORAL STREET AREA TO MOVE FROM ENCAMPMENTS INTO INTERIM HOUSING, SHELTER AND ULTIMATELY PERMANENT HOUSING.> VO- SOME OF THE MONEY WILL GO TOWARDS BUILDING ADDITIONAL UNITS OF TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AT THE HOUSING MATTERS CAMPUS.. LOCATED ON CORAL STREET.. ITS PROXIMITY TO THE LARGEST ENCAMPMENT SITE IN THE CITY IS WHAT MADE IT A NO BRAINER TO RECEIVE SOME OF THAT MONEY. SOT VID 6328 10:09-10:24 <WE HAVE TWO SHELTERS ON CAMPUS RIGHT NOW, THERE'S THE REBLEY FAMILY SHELTER AND THERE'S THE LOFT, WHICH IS EMERGENCY SHELTER OR INTERIM HOUSING WITH 57 BEDS. WITH THIS GRANT WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPAND WITH 20 MORE UNITS ON CAMPUS.> VO- MONEY FROM THE GRANT WILL ALSO BE SPENT FOR ADDITIONAL CASE MANAGERS ALONG WITH ONE MORE HOUSING NAVIGATOR, WHO HELPS ONE-ON- ONE WITH THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TO FIND HOUSING.. SOT VID 6327 8:58-9:11 <WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO GET THIS GRANT AND REALLY AUGMENT OUR SERVICES AND REALLY DO THIS DEEP WORK AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IN DOING IT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSING MATTERS, WHO WILL BE A KEY PARTNER IN MAKING THIS SUCCESSFUL.> AGAIN.. THIS GRANT SPANS ACROSS TWO YEARS.. AND THE CITY SAYS THE OUTREACH TEAM HAS BEEN OUT THERE REGULARLY ALREADY BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF FINDING HOUSING FOR THOSE ON THE STREETS.. REPORTING IN SANTA CRUZ, I'M JAKE FLORES, KSBW ACTION NEWS 8. MONTEREY COUNTY ALSO WORKING TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS. THE COUNTY IS LOOKING TO APPROVE 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO GET MORE TINY HOUSES BUILT. ON THE SUPERVISORS AGENDA TOMORROW THEY WILL VOTE ON WHETHER TO FUND 34 TINY HOMES WHICH WILL BE PLACED IN WATSONVILLE. THE HOUSING IS DESIGN
Santa Cruz receives $4 million grant to address homelessness
![KSBW logo]()
Updated: 6:15 PM PDT Apr 22, 2024
The city of Santa Cruz will be granted $4 million over the next two years to address homelessness. The city is one of 17 communities across the state to receive one. To use this grant, the city had to be particular with where the money would go to.“The focus of this grant is to work with people living in encampments in the Harvey West Park, Harvey West Boulevard and Coral Street area to move from encampments into interim housing, shelter and ultimately permanent housing,” said Larry Imwalle, who’s the homelessness response manager for the city.Some of this grant money will be going toward building additional units of transitional housing at the Housing Matters campus, which is located on Coral Street. Its proximity to the largest encampment site in the city is what made it a no-brainer for the organization to receive some of that money.“We have two shelters on campus right now. There's the Reble Family Shelter, and there's the Loft, which is an emergency shelter or interim housing with 57 beds. With this grant, we'll be able to expand with 20 more units on campus,” said Tom Stagg, chief initiative officer of Housing Matters.Money from the grant will also be spent on additional case managers along with one more housing navigator, who helps one-on-one with those experiencing homelessness to find housing.“We're really excited to get this grant and really augment our services and really do this deep work, and I think it's important in doing it in partnership with housing matters, who will be a key partner in making this successful,” Imwalle said.The city says the outreach team has been out there regularly, already beginning the process of finding housing for those on the streets.See more coverage of top Central Coast stories here | Download our app.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The city of Santa Cruz will be granted $4 million over the next two years to address homelessness. The city is one of 17 communities across the state to receive one.
To use this grant, the city had to be particular with where the money would go to.
“The focus of this grant is to work with people living in encampments in the Harvey West Park, Harvey West Boulevard and Coral Street area to move from encampments into interim housing, shelter and ultimately permanent housing,” said Larry Imwalle, who’s the homelessness response manager for the city.
Some of this grant money will be going toward building additional units of transitional housing at the Housing Matters campus, which is located on Coral Street. Its proximity to the largest encampment site in the city is what made it a no-brainer for the organization to receive some of that money.
“We have two shelters on campus right now. There's the Reble Family Shelter, and there's the Loft, which is an emergency shelter or interim housing with 57 beds. With this grant, we'll be able to expand with 20 more units on campus,” said Tom Stagg, chief initiative officer of Housing Matters.
Money from the grant will also be spent on additional case managers along with one more housing navigator, who helps one-on-one with those experiencing homelessness to find housing.
“We're really excited to get this grant and really augment our services and really do this deep work, and I think it's important in doing it in partnership with housing matters, who will be a key partner in making this successful,” Imwalle said.
The city says the outreach team has been out there regularly, already beginning the process of finding housing for those on the streets.
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories here | Download our app.
