By Phil Kramer
Santa Cruz County’s lack of affordable housing with onsite support services perpetuates chronic homelessness in our community. This month our community will take a big step forward to do something about it.
There is immense urgency to address homelessness in our community. Compounding the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer issued a ruling in the case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that allows local governments to fine and imprison our unhoused families, friends or neighbors for sleeping in public, even if they are inside their cars, and even when no other shelter space is available. Criminalizing homelessness adds a layer of profound trauma for those already grappling with the harsh realities of living unhoused.
Punishing unhoused people strips their dignity and exacerbates the physical and emotional toll of their precarious situation. Rather than offering support, this approach causes suffering for people already struggling in a broken system, reinforcing cycles of poverty and neglect of the most marginalized among us.
Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, by definition, experience prolonged and repeated periods of living unhoused and struggle with a disabling condition. Their stability relies heavily on access to daily supportive services — like medical care and ongoing case management — alongside affordable, stable housing.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Housing Matters will break ground on Harvey West Studios, a project that includes 120 permanent — and supportive — apartments for people experiencing chronic homelessness in Santa Cruz County. This ambitious project is the largest permanent supportive housing project ever in Santa Cruz County.
The building will be a healing environment promoting well-being, where residents feel at home within a shared community that supports those who are experiencing chronic homelessness in Santa Cruz County and are on the path to health and long-term housing stability.
By recognizing that every single person is worthy of housing and that housing is a powerful foundation — physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally — this new building offers the stability that can only come with stable housing.
Harvey West Studios will provide essential services on-site to ensure people experiencing chronic homelessness have the support they need to have a stable and comfortable place to call home. This is the essence of permanent supportive housing and the solution to ending homelessness for some of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Each of the 120 studio apartments, at about 300 square feet, will provide single individuals with modest accommodations. High-quality construction will incorporate low environmental impact. The restorative environment will incorporate gathering areas, landscaped spaces and a rooftop deck to foster intentional community.
Harvey West Studios demonstrates an approach to building supportive housing that embraces the inherent value of every person and will provide a dignified environment for residents to achieve long-term housing stability and community integration.
Tuesday’s groundbreaking is a major step forward for our community. Please join us for this celebration.
Phil Kramer is the CEO of Housing Matters.