Community Human Services, a local nonprofit, has received a $60,000 grant from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation to support two of its programs dedicated to helping homeless youth in the county.

The grant will go toward supporting Safe Place Youth Shelter in Monterey as well as the Monterey Peninsula Outreach Program. The two programs offer wraparound services and case management that help connect transition-age youth with resources to overcome their situations.

“The goal is to just be that front door to build a relationship,” said Shawn Stone, chief operating officer, “and hopefully have them engage in services that are unique and specific to them that will benefit them in becoming more self-sufficient, housed, employed and more stable.”

Community Human Services was established in 1969 as a nonprofit dedicated to providing mental health, substance abuse and homeless services to individuals and families in the county.

The work is funded mostly through grants such as the one from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which distributes grants throughout Monterey County and surrounding areas from funds raised through the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the PURE Insurance Championship.

The Safe Place Youth Shelter is designed to help at-risk, homeless and runaway youth. Services include crisis intervention, temporary shelter, counseling and family reunification. The program also involves assessing homeless youth for their risk of sex trafficking and provides intervention when needed.

The shelter is open to 18-24-year-olds from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. every day with 12 beds. Breakfast and lunch are also provided a few days of the week. Drop-in hours are offered three times a week to receive support from counselors and staff, and there is an essentials table available on the weekends.

Other services provided through the shelter include a full pantry, access to computers for job searches and resume building, a donation closet and laundry services.

In total, the organization offers 12 programs at 10 locations throughout Monterey County. These include Drug and Alcohol Intervention Services for Youth and Outpatient Treatment Centers in both Salinas and Monterey.

“In terms of our services, all of them have challenges with funding,” said Stone. “But specifically with the homeless service programs, they have a lot of challenges, especially in the political climate that we’re in. So receiving this grant was fantastic, to get that support for some of the most underfunded services that we offer.”

As a nonprofit, the vast majority of funding goes toward staff salaries in order to operate programs, said Stone. The shelter is one example of a service that could be improved by more funding.

“We’re only open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. so the hours are limited, which does support making the funding last longer,” he said. “But ideally we would be open all hours of the day.”

This is where the street outreach program comes in and helps supplement some of that support.

The outreach team provides direct assistance to homeless youth up to age 24, working to encourage them to transition off the streets. Outreach services include food distribution, hygiene and first aid supplies and housing and employment referrals.

The programs have proven to be successful, as they have a 60% success rate in getting people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing.

It’s often a big culture shift for clients that come in, especially youth, and are offered a plethora of services that they haven’t experienced before, said Stone.

“It’s fantastic that clients engage in it because the whole purpose is that they’re with us for a short duration of time, and we want to take advantage of that,” he said. “If they’re with us for only a few months, let’s work on what led them to becoming homeless and see what we can do to help them improve that so they can get housed and stay housed.”

At a recent event at the organization’s women and children’s shelter, Casa de Noche Buena, the community’s support was highlighted. Keynote speaker and sociologist Kevin Adler led a conversation about the root causes of homelessness and the importance of working to destigmatize homelessness.

“Continuing the support of services that directly benefit individuals and families getting out of a bad place into a better place, is what we have to keep doing,” said Stone. “We have to keep chugging along, and it’s an uphill battle, but this community is strong and Monterey County is incredibly supportive.”