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    Are you or someone you care about experiencing homelessness?
    Get started on the path to effective services today.

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    From having conversations with your neighbors to donating to volunteering,
    there are many ways to help resolve homelessness together.

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    Interested in learning about what we’re up to, and about the complex issue that is homelessness? Check out our resources, links, and events.

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    latest news

    Cecilia, Board President
    Leading with heart

    Housing Matters Board President Cecilia Espinola shares her perspective on the past fiscal year in our 2021 Annual Report.
    Thanks to you, we raised $9.3M to build Harvey West Studios

    We did it! Thanks to our donors’ generous support, we raised $9.3 Million through our Building with Purpose campaign to build permanent supportive housing right
    Jennifer’s story of resilience and hope

    Jennifer came to the Rebele Family Shelter (RFS) after many years of experiencing homelessness. As a mother of three, Jennifer was seeking stability for both
    Introducing the Pathways Home Toolkit – A free community resource

    Introducing the Pathways Home Toolkit—a free resource anyone can use to help someone experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz County and beyond
    Announcing Our Newest Program: Housing Now

    Housing Matters is hiring a specialized team of case managers to house 90 people experiencing homelessness over the next 15 months.
    Housing Matters Launches Building with Purpose Campaign

    Housing Matters has announced the Building with Purpose capital campaign and their plan to build 120 units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic
    Housing Matters’ 2021–2023 Strategic Plan

    After many, many months of intensive, deliberate thought and planning, in March 2021 we finalized our newest three-year Strategic Plan. This Strategic Plan is a living…
    NEWS: Permanent Supportive Housing Project Approved!

    SANTA CRUZ, CA (Nov. 20, 2020) — Santa Cruz city planning commissioners on Thursday night approved a 120-apartment, five-story complex that will house and treat…
    $2.5 Million Awarded to Housing Matters

    Housing Matters, the largest nonprofit in Santa Cruz County working on solutions to homelessness, today announced that it has been selected to receive a $2.5 million grant…
    Well, this is awkward… about those encampments

    Housing Matters is the largest nonprofit in Santa Cruz County working exclusively on the issue of homelessness. We connect unhoused community members with housing. While

    home at last: success stories

    Our clients are some of the most inspiring people we know. Learn about their journeys as they found their pathways to stable housing.

    Nina

    Nina

    When Nina first came to Housing Matters, she thought she had no hope at all. Nina and her 17-year-old daughter were in a difficult situation, living with a boyfriend of Nina who was abusive, to avoid sleeping in their car or on the street with no protection.

    Sherry

    Sherry

    When I first became homeless, I was married to my husband, Darel. He and I did everything together. He had my back when I first lost my housing in the late ’90s and really looked out for me while we were together. We supported each other in every way we could. He struggled with seizures and other health complications, which is hard to handle alone, so I was there for him throughout…

    Mario

    Mario

    Mario’s hope is to find a way to help the agencies that saved his life expand, so more people can access their services. That, and get back to fishing. A third-generation Santa Cruzian, Mario says his favorite things about his hometown are the ocean and the mountains, but mostly the good people…

    More Success Stories

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    Housing Matters
    17 hours ago
    Housing Matters

    In 2021, YOU took action to support Housing Matters. Thank you! With your support, we permanently housed 310 people last year. That's huge! These incredible numbers show a committed community, dedicated to learning about and resolving homelessness in Santa Cruz County. Stick with us in the upcoming weeks as we dive deeper into how these numbers impact people everyday.

    #housing #SantaCruz #santacruzcounty #community #HousingFirst     ... See MoreSee Less

    In 2021, YOU took action to support Housing Matters. Thank you! With your support, we permanently housed 310 people last year. Thats huge! These incredible numbers show a committed community, dedicated to learning about and resolving homelessness in Santa Cruz County. Stick with us in the upcoming weeks as we dive deeper into how these numbers impact people everyday. #housing #SantaCruz #santacruzcounty #community #HousingFirst
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    Housing Matters
    4 days ago
    Housing Matters

    In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., let’s reflect upon and reframe the ways we care for our neighbors. Regardless of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, or class - we all have a place in the “Beloved Community” Dr. King so vehemently advocated for.

    “In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger, and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it,” Coretta Scott King explained.

    Here at Housing Matters, we witness the transformative power of community daily. And yet, we still have a long way to go.

    Fortunately, Dr. King has wisdom for us as we take steps towards a more just and compassionate world. Scroll through to read his Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change and click the link below to continue learning.

    thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/the-king-philosophy/

    #MLK2022 #MLKDay #community #SantaCruz #Housing #housingfirst     ... See MoreSee Less

    In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., let’s reflect upon and reframe the ways we care for our neighbors. Regardless of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, or class - we all have a place in the “Beloved Community” Dr. King so vehemently advocated for. “In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger, and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it,” Coretta Scott King explained. Here at Housing Matters, we witness the transformative power of community daily. And yet, we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, Dr. King has wisdom for us as we take steps towards a more just and compassionate world. Scroll through to read his Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change and click the link below to continue learning. https://thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/the-king-philosophy/ #MLK2022 #MLKDay #community #SantaCruz #Housing #housingfirstImage attachmentImage attachment+4Image attachment
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