Sanitation for the People

08/05/2023

Posted • Prevention in Action: A new study from Santa Clara County shows that targeted financial assistance has reduced homelessness risk by up to 81%. 💙 Making strides towards a better future for all.

05/23/2023

Exactly! Posted • As the city begins to flush out Pogonip and Sycamore Grove, motivated largely by pollution and fire risk in the heavily wooded area in the coming summer months, history says only a minority of the people evicted from the camps will voluntarily enter the city’s established system and accept shelter.

The lack of discussion over the sweeps pairs with a general uncertainty over where the people still living outside will next attempt to set up their lives.

Evan Morrison, who runs the homeless resource service Free Guide, says those who don’t accept shelter this time won’t simply disappear.

“It’s a basic question of, what next?” Morrison said. “These folks are not going away. If you want to do this clearout, then what are we going to do next for these folks that actually helps them?”

: A medida que la ciudad comienza a desalojar Pogonip y Sycamore Grove, motivado en gran medida por la contaminación y el riesgo de incendio en el área densamente arbolada en los próximos meses de verano, la historia dice que solo una minoría de las personas desalojadas de los campamentos ingresará voluntariamente al sistema establecido de la ciudad y aceptar abrigo.

La falta de discusión sobre los barridos se combina con una incertidumbre general sobre dónde intentarán establecer sus vidas las personas que aún viven afuera.

Evan Morrison, que dirige el servicio de recursos para personas sin hogar Free Guide, dice que aquellos que no acepten refugio esta vez no desaparecerán simplemente.

“Es una pregunta básica de, ¿qué sigue?” dijo Morrison. “Esta gente no se va a ir. Si desea hacer esta limpieza, ¿qué vamos a hacer a continuación para estas personas que realmente los ayude?

: Man staring down by his blue tent among blurred items at a camp.

05/14/2023

SFTP 🖤SC Cares! Posted • Our response to OVO. While it is understandable to be demoralized and angry, please understand that the ruling in favor of moving forward with OVO was far more tenuous than you might think. We will have to work hard to protect people and fight for our vision, but a better outcome is achievable!

01/10/2023

https://vehicleresidency.org/partners-and-sponsors/

Bookmarking this for next year!

The 2022 National Vehicle Residency Summit is brought to you by volunteers from: CLICK HERE to contact us about becoming a partner or sponsor!

01/09/2023

Posted • Temporary Emergency Shelter opening tonight at 8pm operated by Santa Cruz Free Guide at the Freight Building at Depot Park 119 Center St, Santa Cruz for anyone needing to get out of the rain overnight. This site will be open 8 pm - 8 am through Thursday, January 12th at 8 am.

01/08/2023

Keep advocating for our neighbors who live outside! Call, email, text… show up to Tuesday’s city council and Board of Supervisors meetings to make public comment.

01/04/2023

Just seen on Facebook! Happy to see concrete plans to offer emergency shelter to anyone, regardless of housing status. Stay tuned for more details, they say…

11/07/2022

Please vote!

08/02/2022

Support this great organization and people dealing with houselessness!

Posted • Join Downtown Streets Team SC in donating items for hygiene kits and assembling the kits. If you are interested in getting involved swipe left to see the items we are looking for. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any question!

07/28/2022

Posted • 1. Shame on Santa Cruz Sentinel editors for printing a canned guest commentary from a conservative-libertarian think tank. If printed at all, it should be a paid advertisement.

2. PRI’s assessment of CA’s over-representation of unhoused residents (compared to the nation) in spite of economic growth as a failure of social programs is wrong. Growing inequality from out-of-control capitalism and the hyper-financialization of housing, plus the decades-long neoliberal program of slashing the social-safety net, is what creates houselessness.

3. Housing First is a long-used, well-researched, very successful model for solving houselessness. Federal programs to house veterans with Housing First have been hugely successful locally. Housing First is not “housing and nothing else” and it does not “attract more people from outside the homeless system, or keep them in the homeless system, because they are drawn to the promise of a permanent and usually rent-free room.” Those are just lies.

4. Project Roomkey and Project Housekey are excellent programs that save lives, promote public health, and are economical compared to unsheltered houselessness. It is a travesty that Project Roomkey programs ended locally without each and every resident housed or kept in hotels until housing was found.

5. The root cause of houselessness is primarily economic, not mental health or substance use disorders. To continue to repeat this myth is to do a great disservice to people experiencing houselessness and the community at large. It perpetuates stereotypes, increases discrimination and hate speech/crimes, polarizes community conversations around solutions to houselessness, and stymies productive and collaborative program-building.

6. It is no surprise that the conclusion of the commentary calls for “innovations from the private sector.” PRI promotes cookie-cutter anti-houseless ordinances nationwide (are CSSO and OVO inspired by these?) and works with the Cicero Institute, founded by the co-founder of evil-tech company Palantir. One must wonder what the connection is to Newsom's carceral-care CARE Court proposal.

07/15/2022

Great News! Together we have successfully held up implementation of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. is one of the appellants, citing her experiences with Sanitation for the People. Onwards, there’s still more work to be done!

Posted • Thank you to the Coastal Commission for the unanimous vote supporting public access to our coast, including those in oversized vehicles. Thanks to everyone who has been following along or supported our appeal in some way. We will keep you updated on next steps!

07/01/2022

Posted • Please join us at London Nelson on July 6th at 5pm for a community meeting on OVO. The Coastal Commission will be ruling on it on 7/14 - find out how you can help! Snacks will be provided - see you there!