THE CITY LIED AND PEOPLE DIED | Santa Cruz, California

This is the official statement of the City of Santa Cruz to the independent Santa Cruz Homeless Union Survival Camp. They do not have the shelter they are claiming and are not able to place those at the camp into a shelter. If the city shuts down the camp those safely living there will need to find a doorway or park to sleep in.

To get the count of empty shelter beds please contact Rayne Perez, Santa Cruz County Homeless Services Coordinator – 831-454-3411 Rayne.Marr@SantaCruzCounty.us
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Santa Cruz City Government – citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com

November 11, 2019

The City of Santa Cruz has not authorized any form of shelter campsite at the Gateway Plaza, a location others have referred to as the Ross camp. We are actively reaching out to those camping at this site to offer safe alternative places for them to stay.

There are two alternative, sanctioned, sites in the city that offer safe places to stay for those who are experiencing homelessness, and both of these sites have current vacancies and are operated by the Salvation Army.

Consistent with all laws, we will be proceeding with our standard operating procedure, as appropriate, for vacating the campsite and will make all possible efforts to prevent an unsanctioned camp from forming at the Gateway Plaza location to protect the public and the individuals camping there.

The City was forced to close the previous unsanctioned camp at this location due to significant health and public safety issues. We are monitoring the situation closely and will respond appropriately to avoid a similar situation from occurring again. In addition to revisiting the tools our City has to prevent unsafe and unhealthy conditions from occurring, we will also continue to work with the County and State to ensure that individuals living unsheltered have a safe place to stay and the support they need to get back on their feet.

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Please email the City Council and let them know what you think. Please include the city and country you are writing from. citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com

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