Monterey, CA, March 28, 2022 – Community Human Services (CHS) has been awarded a $130,574 grant as part of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. Grant funding will provide operating support for CHS’s Safe Passage Program.
Safe Passage is a co-ed transitional supportive housing program located in downtown Monterey. It offers six beds for homeless youth up to age 24, for 18-24 months. Services include case management, housing navigation, rapid rehousing support, linkages to income, employment and education, life skills classes, access to the internet, and mail service.
The need for services for homeless youth in Monterey County is well documented. The January 2019 bi-annual Monterey County Homeless Census identified 2,422 homeless individuals. Of that number, 324 were unaccompanied homeless children and transition-age youth (ages 18-24), of which 91% were unsheltered. Unsheltered youth often wind up sleeping in vehicles, abandoned buildings or outdoors in tents, parks, or under overpasses and exposing them to harsh elements. (The 2021 census was cancelled due to the pandemic and the 2022 census data is not yet available.)
The CoC Program promotes community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. CHS is one of only 15 programs in the Monterey/San Benito County area to be awarded monies through the CoC Program for the year 2021. CHS has provided services to unaccompanied runaway and homeless youth for over 35 years.