Since our organization was created, our campus has evolved into three emergency shelters for nearly 160 people, a medical clinic, and a 12-bed medical respite care facility.

Our organization began as a loosely affiliated group of faith-based and secular organizations and was originally named the Santa Cruz Citizen’s Committee for the Homeless. The primary purpose, at that time, was to provide basic food and shelter for those with no resources to provide their own. Individuals experiencing homelessness would camp on what was referred to as the “Back 40″ on the lot of our current location on Coral Street in the Harvey West neighborhood of Santa Cruz.

To provide the campers with safety, security, and basic amenities such as heat and running water, the original group implemented the Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program (ISSP). During the years of the ISSP, unhoused families and individuals ate a meal at our make-shift headquarters, then took a bus to various churches throughout the community, returning in the morning for a warm breakfast. Along with the creation of the ISSP, the Committee incorporated the Homeless Community Resource Center, which included a free meal program and free access to basic hygiene services, including toilets and showers.