Bradenton’s Greg Cruz Attacks Homelessness, a Social Issue Impacting the World
BRADENTON— Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in both New York and Connecticut, Greg Cruz moved to Bradenton in 2002, and he is best known for the work he does with homeless and at-risk communities. “Working with homeless and at-risk communities has been a passion of mine for closeto a decade. I’ve always rooted for the underdog in movies, sports, etc. I was an underdog in life, so it only makes sense that I would want to see other underdogs succeed,” said Cruz.
“Growing up, I was super poor and rarely had new clothes. I remember waiting in line for blocks of cheese and powdered milk. It was bad. The olderI got I learned to maneuver through life a lot more comfortable, but I never forgot how
hard the struggle was for me.”
Cruz is a field director for a political consulting firm. When he isn’t at work, he is giving back and spearheaded an organization called Streets of Paradise. “Not only do we feed, clothe, and help create sanitary environments but we partnered with the city and county to provide free furniture and move-in services through our Street to the home initiative to anyone housed through Sarasota’s local rapid rehousing program,” said Cruz.
“To date, we have provided furnishings to over 70 households in less than 6 months. We are 100% donation and volunteer-based.”
Cruz says his work with the homeless has allowed him to meet a variety of
people and hear a plethora of stories. “There are very talented people living on the streets. Artists, musicians, and poets,” said Cruz. “My most memorable story is of a guy who was a high school gym teacher for 16 years. He got into a motorcycle accident and was prescribed pain pills. He’d never done drugs in his life. Within 18 months he was addicted to heroin. His wife divorced him, he lost his job, and she got the house and the kids.
Stories like that keep me grounded and humble.”
Cruz says he wants his work to bring awareness to issues in Sarasota and
Manatee County. “I would like to shed light on the fact that Sarasota and Manatee County have no real affordable housing and Big Pharma is responsible for the opioid epidemic even though street-level dealers are the only ones held accountable,” said Cruz.
“Affordable housing is based on median income, and in Sarasota, the median income is $65,000/year or something like that. I find that mental illness, capitalism, addiction, and unexpected life circumstances are the 4 major factors of almost every homeless person I’ve come in contact with.”
Nobody grows up wanting to be homeless, yet every day someone will become homeless and live on the streets.
To learn more about Streets of Paradise isit www.streetsofparadise.org. Anyone interested in being involved with Streets of Paradise are encouraged to contact Greg Cruz directly at 941-704-3511 or send an email to streetsofparadise941@gmail.com. Streets of Paradise accepts donations. Donations can include furniture, cash, hygiene products, gift cards, and cleaning supplies. “We are only as strong as the most vulnerable in our communities. A homeless person deserves the same dignity and respect as any other human being,” said Cruz. “There’s no reason that the wealthiest nation on earth should have more unoccupied dwellings than homeless people. Capitalism plays a big part in that. Until we care about people more than we care about profits things will never
change.”
