Monterey County Homelessness Digest

A multi-year, $750 million California program aimed at doing away with homeless encampments has had mixed results. Local leaders say ongoing funding is needed.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case related to whether cities and towns can ban camping on public property. The high court could overturn Martin v. Boise, a 2018 federal court decision that keeps western cities and counties from blocking public camping when sufficient shelter space is unavailable.

María Vela’s family has lived in East L.A. nearly 30 years, but new owners of her duplex asked her family to vacate by Christmas. Most evictions are due to nonpayment of rent, but owner move-ins also cause family displacement.

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can’t care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Federal judge David O. Carter has declined to dismiss a lawsuit that could force the Veterans Administration to house veterans experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Carter’s 41-page ruling could pave the way for a trial in mid-2024.

San Diego-area nonprofits and faith organizations struggle to provide for tens of thousands of migrants border agents have released on San Diego streets.

In the wake of approximately 24 families facing evictions from a Pajaro apartment complex as the property's owners prepare to work through violations cited by Monterey County, Watsonville-based nonprofit Community Bridges has intervened to assist those families.

Berkeley public works staff and police officers began closing the longstanding encampment along Seventh and Eighth streets in an “imminent health hazard and emergency abatement,” which was ordered to tackle safety concerns.

California’s population of homeless veterans has plateaued despite billions of dollars in state spending to create housing for former service members. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to shift resources to focus on veterans with serious mental health conditions.

Elected officials, funders and members of the veterans community will come together to raise the first wall in the project that will provide homeless veterans a place to live in perpetuity with no transitional requirements.

Shuman HeartHouse, a new shelter for homeless women and families with children, will be opening in early November. The shelter will accommodate up to 35 people—and there are already more than 200 individuals on the waiting list.

Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice — but how far they go in solving homelessness is a contentious question.

The new “Navigation Center” is designed to provide services to the unhoused population in Monterey, expanding the department’s capacity to serve the unhoused population and creating a collaborative workspace for the police, the Multidisciplinary Outreach Team and other providers.

Homelessness is something Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has prioritized. Resources have evolved from one homeless youth liaison to seven full-time staff devoted to the district’s youth and families experiencing homelessness.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants counties to spend some revenue from California’s so-called “millionaire’s tax” on the state’s homeless crisis. That alarms advocates for programs that are getting that money today.

Many local governments see voter majorities approve bond measures without reaching the two-thirds required. A new effort to reform that system would drastically improve the ability of local governments to fund housing and infrastructure projects.

Despite efforts by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to shelter more than 14,000 people this year, the city's homeless population keeps growing. That does not necessarily mean her signature program is failing. The larger question: How does California measure success?

The lack of enough places for everyone to live has sent coastal rent prices inland, removing large swaths of previously cheaper rental units.

California’s more than 170,000 unhoused people often lack the means and mobility to locate and visit a doctor who will accept them. At least 25 street medicine teams throughout the state are trying to fill that gap by providing health care to unhoused individuals in need.

Community members came together to ask for the council’s support of Senate Bill 567, which would place some restrictions on landlords who want to evict their tenants because of remodeling.

Fast food is the largest employer of homeless workers in California, with one of 17 unhoused individuals in the state working in the industry. That is according to a new report released by the Economic Roundtable.

California cities of every size lack shelter beds for the state’s growing homeless population. A new bill would force local governments to do more, and punish ones that don’t plan housing for homeless Californians.

Democratic voters in California cities are pushing mayors and city councils to clear homeless camps. Leaders are responding with new ordinances, from Sacramento to San Diego.

For more than 55 years, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County has launched programs to help people experiencing poverty across Santa Cruz County and the Pájaro Valley, including homelessness prevention, employment and mentoring services for youth and adults, immigration legal services, and crisis response.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is not pleased with local leaders' plans to reduce homelessness, and will hold back state funding until they take more aggressive action: “Everyone has to do better.”

It’s a common misconception that a physical address is required to cast a ballot. For individuals living in shelters or encampments, California offers several options for participating in local elections.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is considering implementation of a safe parking program for families experiencing homelessness. The Monterey County Department of Social Services presented a proposal for the program to the Board of Trustees.

Hopes for bringing Project Homekey to Pacific Grove ended when the Pacific Grove City Council voted 5-1, with one council member absent, against pursuing a new application.

Restaurateur Marvin Green learned that a quarter of adults in Monterey County don’t have access to steady nutrition. That made him wonder: How might he find partners to help underwrite feeding the underfed?

The 2022 Monterey County Veterans Stand Down, an event where homeless veterans on the Central Coast can get help obtaining services, is coming up. Hosted by the Veterans Transition Center, it takes place June 17-18. All homeless men, women and veterans with families are welcome.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District will be the first district in California to provide short-term emergency housing for students experiencing homelessness through a partnership with Motel 6.