Survival Behaviors and the Criminalization of Homelessness in Santa Cruz California

Abstract
This is a case study on the survival behaviors associated with the homeless and an analysis of the criminalization of the homeless in the city of Santa Cruz. In this analysis the Santa Cruz municipal code and ordinances, along with central coast archived news publications and editorials are examined in an effort to answer the following questions: 1) Does the City of Santa Cruz utilize legislation to criminalize homelessness in their city and 2) How is the legislation enforced? Statistical data supplied by Applied Survey Research (ASR) will be examined to answer the questions about the size, nature, and overall cause of homelessness in Santa Cruz. This study reviews the efforts and laws that criminalize homeless activities associated with homelessness nationally. I discuss the different theories for criminalization that apply to the homeless. This case study found that public policy has created laws that penalize, and criminalize survival behaviors of the homeless in Santa Cruz California. Applied Survey Research data indicated that homelessness in Santa Cruz is largely a homegrown issue and that the size of the homeless population is growing, while the demographics of ethnicity are shifting.

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