Santa Cruz City Council members joined the homeless community and the staff at the Homeless Services Center to remember the 47 homeless people who died this year.
Santa Cruz City Council members joined the homeless community and the staff at the Homeless Services Center to remember the 47 homeless people who died this year. It was the highest number of homeless deaths recorded since the city first started keeping records back in 1999, and homeless advocates point out that the real number of deaths is probably higher. “There’s a lot of homeless that’s hidden in our community, said Matt Nathanson, a public health nurse who works with the homeless community. According to county statistics, the average age of the deceased was 51. The leading cause of death was alcohol.
While the memorial service was going on, city leaders and downtown merchants were arguing with a coalition of local churches that ministers to the homeless downtown. The group, known as Compassion Santa Cruz, offers food, beanies, and religion to local homeless people, but authorities worry that this only exacerbates the problem and interferes with the city’s social programs.
Addressing the group, Councilmember Ryan Coonerty said, “You’re helping them subsist in misery,” instead of actually addressing the problem. Ronee Curry, a former homeless woman who is active in the group, disagrees, saying that “This is something God called me to do.” Councilmember Don Lane, who once worked at the Homeless Services Center, suggests that there should be some happy medium. He said that he does not want to discourage people from helping the needy, but that they should choose the way they help wisely. Read more at the Mercury News and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
