County, Partners Accept Grants to Address Homelessness

The County of Santa Cruz and the Homeless Action Partnership announced nearly $2 million in grants toward ending homelessness through community-based housing and support services.

The 14 awards, from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care program, primarily maintain existing funding for programs such as the Page Smith Community House, Brommer Street Transitional Housing and First Step, a scattered-site housing program for families with children.

In addition, the grants provide new funding to supplement Housing for Health, a three- year program aimed at chronically homeless adults currently funded through a $1.2 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

HUD also helped fund the creation of a new coordinated entry system, called Smart Path for Housing and Health, to streamline the assessment of homeless persons who frequently use local health care services and link them with permanent housing.

“By definition, homelessness is a housing problem,” said Julie Conway, Housing Coordinator for the County of Santa Cruz. “By focusing on housing, these grants help provide the foundation for achieving the goals in our All-In Strategic Plan to Prevent, Reduce, and Eventually End Homelessness.”

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The Homeless Action Partnership is a collaboration of the five jurisdictions in Santa Cruz County (the County and the cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Capitola and Scotts Valley) and local homeless housing and services providers.