Jun 17, 2019
In case you haven’t heard, homelessness is booming in California.
Some 130,000 Californians are homeless—which is nearly a quarter of the national total. And that rate of homelessness is among the highest in the country.
Homelessness jumped 14 percent from 2016 to 2017 in California and city leaders took note. From 2017 to 2018, most of California’s major urban areas saw a slight decrease in homelessness—about 1 percent. But Santa Cruz saw an increase.
This Surf City, boardwalk town in Central California now has the second highest per capita rate of homelessness in California.
In this beach community of some 60,000 people, roughly 2,200 are homeless in Santa Cruz. And each night, The Salvation Army shelters nearly 10 percent of them.
Captain Harold Laubach directs The Salvation Army’s efforts in Santa Cruz—which includes the corps, the church, four winter shelters, one being an encampment space that provides safe shelter outdoors, and a homeless navigation center.
In today’s show, Captain Laubach takes us in
side a homeless shelter to explain how it operates and how The Salvation Army aims to meet individual needs inside. He details how The Salvation Army partners with its neighbors to mitigate concerns and gain support.
Captain Laubach explores the complex and complicated issue of homelessness—and the sometimes surprising reality of those who face it. He shares what he believes is the way out of homelessness and the role faith plays in it all.
Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.