Safe Harbor Village - Transitional Encampment

Housing First programs in EVERY US city have been a failure. Here in Santa Cruz, Robert Ratner and colleagues have taken to lying about things as a way to hobble forward. Fire these people and let's stop the charade. We need to ensure excellent shelter and service opportunities for every single person who sleeps outside as we pretend to place them on this golden bridge to nowhere. It's not time to "march to end homelessness" so that Housing Matters can rake in even more money that they'll p**s down the drain. We need to wake up and get mad!

Santa Cruz: Ocean Lodge ends homeless shelter program At the end of February, one of Santa Cruz County’s last remaining hotels-for-homeless programs, sheltering more than two dozen households, quietly ended.

How we built it, and why...

Brent Adams - Meeting the Immediate Needs of Unhoused People Brent Adams talks with host Mathilde Rand about his development from activist to leading an organization formed to help meet the immediate needs of unhoused people. Programs like the Footbridge Services Center, Secret Garden Women's Shelter and the Warming Center are highlighted. A discussion about

There’s much to be said about his life, so I’ll just highlight what he meant for me. I wouldn’t be doing the work I’ve been able to over the past 10 years were it not for Paul’s support. His belief in me and my point of view and his cheerleading were instrumental. He had become a mentor and his book A Quality of Mercy has been my personal Old Testament, to which I’ve been writing new volumes – though, with my work and in video form. He a was brash iconoclast who reveled in antiauthoritarian actions, even as he hosted the police chief and mayor for brunch. He invited me too, but I was evidently too much for the room. This red-faced, ever-smiling figure brought dozens of people together; though often dissimilar. He poured generous cocktails while stirring the pot of community integration. This was inspiring for me. As with everything, the end comes finally and his support for my vision waned as he focused on more protest-oriented endeavors. I sat with him as the last days of summer were spent and I enjoyed a final few bursts of his exuberant laughter. As usual, I stated my case and staked out my philosophical territory, but alas he couldn’t see it, though his support never wavered. Then he was gone. He is remembered for many landmark activities, but for me, I remember him for the stand he made with me over several years that helped me transform an idea into a reality that has served several thousand people and has saved countless lives. I’ll take his meeting-table concept as my own and – while I don’t have access to thousands of dollars to distribute to stary-eyed upstarts, I clearly understand the power of the supportive word and a good cocktail to liven things when topics are dark. Cheers, Paul. I’d be nothing without you. Truly, Brent

A memorial celebration of the life of Paul Lee will take place at the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Soquel on December 18, from 2 to 4 p.m.

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