Monica Martinez

I am the Executive Director of the Homeless Services Center in Santa Cruz, CA, where I mobilize and spearhead transformative change to end homelessness. Here is a little video about some of my work.

I am co-founder of the 180/180 project, a county-wide initiative to house 180 of the most vulnerable chronically homeless men and women by July, 2014.

I also teach a Sociology class on Homelessness and Society at UC Santa Cruz.

Point me to the problem. I walk fearlessly in to difficult situations and apply innovative solutions to seemingly impossible tasks. I am a consensus builder and a change agent. I am driven by one mission: to acheive equity and dignity for all.

When I leave the office, I hit the road. I am a 2x Ironman triathlon finisher, marathon runner, avid road cyclist, and ocean swimmer. Every night I go home to my solar-powered "off the grid" home in the Santa Cruz mountains with my wife and boxer dog, Sierra.