SANTA CRUZ - The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to give $17,000 to the Homeless Services Center to keep its winter shelter in DeLaveaga Park open for another month, but reiterated the need for other cities to share in future funding.

"This isn't the first time that I feel we've been in the position of the council taking care of financial missteps," said Councilwoman Lynn Robinson, saying the shelter should have been managed better to grapple with budget cuts. The shelter lost $24,000 in state funding this year.

Councilman Don Lane, a longtime volunteer at the Homeless Services Center, said because the shelter was expected to run short, much work has been done to encourage the cities of Scotts Valley and Capitola to help fund the program. Leaders from those two cities have agreed to help out based on a population formula.

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