SANTA CRUZ — The clock is ticking on a homeless encampment, estimated to host from 150 to 200 people, between Gateway Plaza and Highway 1.

While a Sept. 4 ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that it is “cruel and unusual punishment” to prosecute people for sleeping on public property in the absence of alternative shelter options, campers were given a 30-day eviction notice last week without a clear link to sufficient alternatives. The Santa Cruz City Council is set to evaluate the status of efforts to provide new facilities Tuesday and at its March 12 meeting, ahead of the March 15 camp deadline, determine if the camp closure should be postponed.

A joint effort between the city and Santa Cruz County is underway to expand existing emergency shelter options. In the past week, 40 emergency shelter beds tailored toward women, families and those with physical disabilities resumed from earlier years at the Salvation Army’s Laurel Street property. That shelter is set to remain open for a little more than 19 weeks, through June 30, at a cost of $315,341 or about $16,600 a week.

The Salvation Army also is overseeing the winter shelter operating since mid-November at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 7263 in Live Oak, hosting as many as 60 people nightly through April 15. The county “will examine cost and feasibility of extending operations through June 30” at the VFW, according to a Feb. 12 Santa Cruz County Supervisors meeting agenda report.

Additional shelter efforts include:

Ongoing work to reopen last year’s River Street Camp at 1220 River St. Operator, with an unknown capacity.

Officials “continue to review additional spaces for indoor shelter, safe camping and safe parking program.”

Council to consider Tuesday ending overnight parking restriction enforcement on Delaware Avenue between Swift Street and Shaffer Road.

Council to consider Tuesday making Shelter Crisis and Local Crisis declarations.

Day and Night Storage Program director Brent Adams said he was out at the Gateway camp Friday, providing storage bins for 17 women and five men who were leaving the Gateway camp to reside at one of the winter shelter sites. While the council agreed to provide Adams limited use of the Harvey West Clubhouse and $5,000 compensation to expand his separate Warming Center Program’s bedding and supplies, he said the storage program extension is not government-funded. County officials agreed to subsidize the cost of 20 nights of the Warming Center Program in North County, plus up to an additional five nights in South County — beyond an already contracted up to 15 nights.

Aiming toward long-term solutions, the application period closed Friday for organizations pitching proposals to obtain a piece of the approximately $10 million in Santa Cruz County’s emergency shelter and homeless service funding from the state. A beneficiary of the cash influx is expected to be an organization vying to open a new permanent day-and-night homeless shelter, hosting at least 100 people, by July 1.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda, beginning during an earlier 1 p.m. session, the council will be asked to support Assemblyman Mark Stone’s newly introduced Assembly Bill 411 to release $16.1 million dollars of city former Redevelopment Agency bond funding for affordable housing development. The council also will consider setting a May 14 public hearing to raise customer wastewater fees for five years beginning July 1, with a single family home’s monthly bill escalating from $47.20 to $65 by the year 2023. Separately, in a proposal from Councilmembers Sandy Brown and Justin Cummings, the council may consider revising recent updates to developer rules for including a percentage of units to be sold or rented at affordable prices.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct an error related to identification of the VFW post winter shelter.

If you go

What: Santa Cruz City Council meeting.

When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday.

Where: City Council Chamber, 809 Center St.

At issue: Homeless shelter update