On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new state website that shows what counties are doing to reduce homelessness, and provide housing, shelter and mental health services.

Aggregating data from local and state agencies, the site displays information such as the number of unsheltered people in a county, and how far along a county is in fulfilling its housing goals

Local officials have often been the target of Newsom’s frustration with the state’s growing homeless population. There are at least 187,084 people without homes in California, according to federal data; nearly a quarter of all unhoused Americans live in this state – as well as 28% of all homeless veterans and 44% of all “chronically homeless” Americans (people who have a disability and have been homeless for a significant period of time.)

Two-thirds of California’s homeless residents sleep outside — the highest percentage in the country.

Newsom, at an online press event Monday said that “good things are happening at the local level, but not everywhere … (and) we’re going to call you out.” The website (which also includes housing data) states, “Californians deserve results ... It’s time for accountability.”

So, it’s worthwhile to see how Santa Cruz County is doing, and how our county compares to other Central Coast counties. The goal, of course, is to ensure that state funding results in lower numbers of unsheltered people.

For Santa Cruz County, the data shows some progress, but some glaring issues as well. The state reports from the 2024 Point in Time Count that 1,850 people were counted as homeless, up 2.5% from the previous year (this year’s Point in Time count was conducted Jan. 31), with the biggest jump in Watsonville, where the estimated homeless population soared by 60% — an all-time high of 673 individuals.

The numbers of unsheltered countywide were up by 4.1% to 1,485, according to the state data. Still, the county, including the four cities, had 2,656 year-round beds available, up 10.5% since 2023.

Since 2019, Santa Cruz County has received more than $24 million from the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention fund, with about $8.3 million unspent so far. Between January 2023 and June 2024, state funds have provided housing for 460 homeless people in the county and more than 1,660 people have been connected to services. The website also reports that 110 people in the county were receiving Full Service Partnership services. These are services targeted to individuals who are unhoused, or at risk of becoming unhoused, and who have a severe mental illness often with a history of criminal justice involvement and repeat hospitalizations.

The county and Santa Cruz city also have received a total of $6.4 million in Encampment Resolution funds (with approximately $2.6 million unspent), part of a $750 million effort by the Newsom administration to clear homeless encampments from cities and counties throughout California.

In Monterey County, with a population of about 438,000 compared to Santa Cruz County’s 263,000, the state website reports 3,057 people counted as unhoused in 2024, with the number of unsheltered people, 2,379, up 46.4% since 2023. The county reported 1,489 year-round beds available, down 7.5% from the year previously. Monterey County has received $27.5 million in state funding since 2019, with $10.5 million unspent so far. Monterey County also has received $31 million in Encampment Resolution funds since 2022 with about $19 million unspent.

In San Luis Obispo County, with a population of about 278,000, the results are a bit more impressive. The county data shows 1,175 people listed as unhoused in 2024, down 23.3% from 2023. The number of unsheltered also dropped dramatically, down 30.8% since 2023, to 800 persons. The county reported 1,385 year-round beds available, down 6% from 2023. The county has received $17.3 million in HHAP funding since 2019; so far, about $4 million of this is unspent. San Luis Obispo County has received $13.4 million Encampment Resolution funds, all of which is spent or obligated.