Santa Cruz County homeless population dips 3.6%; rising rents, job loss cited by many

The homeless population in Santa Cruz County has dropped 3.6 percent since last year, but a growing number of people contribute their homelessness to rising rents, the county said in a report Aug. 5.

There are currently 2,167 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in the county, according to the Point-in-Time count on Jan. 31, which was followed by a survey of 399 homeless individuals and families.