A Community Discussion Surrounding Safety in Santa Cruz

After sharing our personal experiences with concern of safety in Santa Cruz, we decided it was time to make a change. As residents of Santa Cruz, we had experienced times of feeling threatened and as though the drug, mental health, and homelessness issue was growing. So, what to do? We are banding together to get to the root of the issues. What are the sources of the problems in Santa Cruz? While it may seem simple to point to one thing and say that’s the problem, once you start peeling back the layers, you see this is a complex issue. We have categorized our concerns into 4 issues:

➡️ Mental Health

➡️ Addiction

➡️ Safety

➡️  Homelessness

We have reached out to community leaders, with a variety of titles, to dive into these areas. To learn what is available to people, what policies are in place, what is needed, and what the community can do to make our home a safer one. We have an incredible line up of leadership to discuss these topics

Bernie Escalante - Santa Cruz City Police Chief

Fred Keeley - Santa Cruz City Mayor

Phil Kramer - Chief Executive Officer | Housing Matters

Manu Koenig - First District Supervisor | Santa Cruz County

Justin Cummings - Third District Supervisor | Santa Cruz County

Robert Ratner - Director, Housing for Health Division, Human Services Department

Danny Contreras - Health Services Manager | Clinics Division