Thanks to David Silva for this report on the Tulare homeless. In Santa Cruz we determined through the 2000 homeless census and the 2000 Needs Assessment Survey that as many as a third of homeless people are minors under age 18. We don't expect minors to have jobs when they should be in school. Many of our homeless are disabled, either physically or mentally and cannot work. Since it is so difficult to apply for and to recieve social security benefits---even when eligible---many have no income while they are waiting for the bureaucracy to catch up with them.

The Santa Ana Eichhorn decision reported that only 8% of homeless people are able-bodied and not looking for work. Pretty much, if they can work, they are working.

In Santa Cruz, 40% of our homeless are employed and 10% are employed fulltime.

Perhaps as many as 30% have some sort of alcohol or drug dependancy. This still means that the majority of homeless people do not have a problem with alcohol or drugs.

As many as 75% of our homeless last had housing in Santa Cruz County. They are not "flocking here" from all over as Mike Rotkin likes to say. They are our own economic refugees---who could not keep up with the low wages and and the high cost of housing.

We as a people, are responsible for helping them. Every major religion teaches this. Even the "Godless" Communists take care of each of its citizens. But only in wealthy American communities has it become okay to disrupt, displace, deny, drive off, diss, and villify those who need our help more than any of our other citizens. Downtown merchants close off bathrooms so homeless people can't use them. Julie Hendee of the City's Redevelopment Agency, ON OUR DIME!!, has been pressuring church groups to not feed the hungry and homeless downtown.

Ed Porter (up for re-election) put forward the "move-along" law which mostly affects political tables which become illegal after only one hour's time.

Mayor Scott Kennedy actually wrote me a letter claiming that the Sleeping Ban (MC 6.36.010 A) which criminalizes homeless people if they dare to fall asleep between 11PM and 8:30AM ANYWHERE in the city limits inside of a vehicle or out of doors ACTUALLY HELPS HOMELESS PEOPLE!!!

How can NO SLEEP and a $54 ticket HELP homeless people to function, to get a job, or to get into housing? He's up for re-election too!!

For more info: come to a HUFF meeting. We meet every WED. at 8:30AM at Baker's Square Restaurant on Ocean St. Free coffee if you are homeless!!!