Announcements and Reminders
Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the bottom right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13th.
Rotary Night at the Warriors is March 2nd. Go to their website and enter Rotary Night Warriors Santa Cruz and the info will come up. Tickets are $41.
Remember our major fundraiser April 13th, a roast for Bruce McPherson. Tickets are $150. Save the date!
RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) applications are due. Awardees go to Mission Springs for a 5 day leadership camp. High school sophomore and juniors are eligible. If you know of someone who could be eligible get an application from Sandy.
Kids Foundation of Monterey Bay is auctioning off an electric bike on Apr 21st. Raffle tickets are $10 each. See Sandy for tickets.
The area speech contest is March 3rd at SLV. Go and support our winner, Jamie Walton.
April 7th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies and volunteers! To sign up, see Win.
Our speaker today was from the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center. Phil Kramer, seen above with Pam Goodman, is the executive director. He comes from a high-tech background but mid-career decided instead to focus on non-profits in our community.
He began by saying homelessness affects all walks of life. Homelessness is defined as someone who does not have a lease in their name. On any given day there are more than half a million people experiencing homelessness. In California, numbers are increasing. In Santa Cruz we have 2250 homeless people, up 14% from last year.
Some of the predictors are: leaving foster care, living here, disabling condition, and joblessness. The SCHSC works with them to get permanent housing. Best practice research indicates that the first best method is get them into housing, then provide services. This is the ‘housing first’ philosophy.
Almost 500 people are supported either on their campus or in the community. In the last 6 years they have permanently housed an additional 600 people. SCHSC have a family shelter, a recuperative care center and special services for veterans. Housing related services include homeward bound (transportation) intake and assessment, mail services, showers, housing workshop and employment services.
Mr Kramer stressed that things will be getting more difficult as rents go up and no more low income housing is built.