shelter placement
The best way to learn about shelter availability and find a shelter that is the best fit for you is by coming to a Service Navigation Workshop, at 115 Coral Street in Santa Cruz, from 1:00 to 5:00, on Wednesdays and Fridays or for drop-in hours 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our intake and assessment specialists will carefully listen to your individual situation and help you get connected with the best services for you. You can call first and ask to speak to someone on the Service Navigation Team: (831) 458-6020.
Note: If you have children and are seeking shelter, we offer Smart Path Coordinated Entry System assessments for our Rebele Family Shelter and other family services on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00, also on our Coral Street campus.
shelter requirements
Housing Matters’ shelters are low barrier. That means that we welcome people wherever they are in their journey to permanent housing. We have clear and simple behavioral expectations, and the only requirement we have for participation in one of our shelter programs is that you are working toward a permanent housing plan. We provide support along the way, but ultimately it is the client’s responsibility to move toward housing.
additional programs
You can learn about our non-residential programs on our Housing Services page and our Other Support Services page >
You can find resources for a variety of needs on our Community Resources page >
Collectively, our three shelters provide beds for nearly 200 individuals on any given night, which are more than a third of the beds available in all of Santa Cruz County. Shelter can be life-changing for those who are able to access it, especially when it is designed as a pathway to housing. However, the need in our county is much larger than we are able to provide for, with an estimated 77% of our local homeless population going unsheltered — that’s approximately 1800 people without shelter in our community, every night.
We are always looking to expand resources and better serve each and every person experiencing homelessness. Through systems change, best practices, and agility in the face of crises, we work hard toward the vision that homelessness in Santa Cruz County should be rare, brief, and non-recurring. Indeed, we are resolving homelessness together. Join us in moving forward toward a healthier, more stable community for all residents — housed and unhoused — by learning how you can take action today.