Committee on the Shelterless with Erin Krueger and Chris Cabral
Our speakers for September 28, 2025 were Chris Cabral and Erin Krueger of COTS (Committee on the Shelterless). Chris has Juris Doctor and MBA degrees and has been COTS’ CEO for 3 years. She has an extensive background in other non-profits and as an executive in the private sector. Erin is COTS’ Director of Development. Erin has a BA degree in communications and business.
COTS was created in 1988 and is headquartered in Petaluma with an office in Santa Rosa. Its programs include the only 7 days per week food access point in the county (which served 200,000 meals last year!), an emergency shelter for the unsheltered with 92 beds, and transitional housing with 174 supporting homes in Sonoma County. COTS also manages a homeless prevention program called Keep People Housed. California has a severe housing shortage but despite the many non-profits and governmental agencies working to solve the problem, they have not made a great deal of headway. One of the problems is the continual influx of people becoming homeless. Half of the unhoused population includes families with minor children. The wait list for housing in Sonoma County is more than 1 year. One of the potential solutions is to help people remain in their homes despite financial problems that would otherwise result in homelessness. Chris told us that studies show that on average it might cost $3,700 to keep someone in their home but that if that person or family becomes homeless, it can cost $100,000 to help the family get back into a home. Helping people remain in their homes is a much better outcome since there is much less trauma involved when people don’t have to leave their homes. The Keep People Housed program is designed to identify and help the most vulnerable people stay in their homes with financial assistance before they become unsheltered. The program receives most of its funding from the County of Sonoma and the Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma. Keep People Housed also works with Legal Aid and others to help resolve tenancy issues.
There are various ways to help Keep People Housed, including donations, buying raffle tickets for an upcoming raffle, and volunteering to work on a variety of projects. Thank you, Chris and Erin, for the great explanation of what COTS does and for all the good work you both do!
Click HERE to see a limited time recording of Chris and Erin's presentation.
