The Homeless Services Center announced in June that due to the withdrawal of State administered federal emergency funds, they were laying off workers and a large portion of the services they offer would most likely be eliminated if alternative funding was not found. Shortly after the announcement, the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury released a new report titled: Recipe for Failure: Shrinking Budgets and Increasing Needs for Emergency Homeless Shelters (PDF).

The Grand Jury report recommends that, "facilities, funding and staffing of all emergency shelters in the city of Santa Cruz be reassessed to adequately meet the acute needs of the persistently high homeless population. Additional case managers are needed to facilitate the transition of homeless individuals out of shelters. More grant writers are needed to access untapped funding opportunities."

In response, members of Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs have held a series of emergency breakfasts in front of the Homeless Services Center, and they also are planning to participate in an upcoming community camp out. The group organizing the camp out consists of members of a variety of organizations, including Food Not Bombs, HUFF, residents and refugees from the Coral St. complex, UCSC students, Camp of Last Resort workers, the Homeless Legal Persons Assistance Project, and others.

Read More: Human Rights Under Attack in the City of Santa Cruz | Homeless Lives Matter: Building Towards Justice | Santa Cruz Grand Jury Report Details Increasing Need for Emergency Homeless Shelters | Unsheltered Lives Matter