Housing + Habitat Survey

The Housing + Habitat Survey will be taking place throughout Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties in 2024-2025. As a key component of the broader WUI Research for Resilience project, the survey focuses on those living in the wildland urban interface or “WUI,” the area where housing mixes in with or is built alongside natural areas like forests and rivers. These WUI areas are more prone to fires and floods and are also the areas of the fastest housing growth in California—as well as on the Central Coast. Yet little is known about why people are living in or moving to these WUI areas, who the different people are living there (WUI demographics), and what the experience and needs are for different WUI residents. This Housing + Habitat Survey is part of the first study to address these interconnected questions. The results will be used to inform policy and planning discussions focused on affordable housing, disaster preparedness, land stewardship, and other forms of support for those in the WUI and throughout the region.

This survey is conducted in person (not online), is anonymous, and takes around 20 minutes. If you choose to participate you will receive a $20.00 gift card after completing the survey.

We will be surveying at numerous events, markets, family resource centers, and community gatherings throughout North Santa Cruz County, San Lorenzo Valley, Aptos/Soquel, and South Santa Cruz County/North Monterey County. View the calendar below to find events where you can learn more about the project and take the survey.

You can also find us at the Housing + Habitat Resource Fair on Sunday, October 6th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Pacific Elementary School in Davenport!

Community partners include: Community Bridges, Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience (SCCOR3), and the Long Term Recovery Group of Santa Cruz County.

If you have any further questions about this research, you may contact Dr. Miriam Greenberg, Principal Investigator, at miriam@ucsc.edu, or lead Graduate Student Researcher Kyle Galindez at kgalinde@ucsc.edu.

If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject while taking part in this study or if you have concerns or suggestions and you want to talk to someone other than the research team about the study, please contact the UCSC Office of the Human Research Protection Program by email at orca@ucsc.edu or phone at (831) 459-1473.