The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) bestowed its prestigious Challenge Award upon Riverside County's Housing Workforce Solutions department for their program "Connecting Youth to Housing and Opportunities," as per a news release from the county on December 14th.
The initiative has made significant strides toward addressing youth homelessness and providing support that includes housing and resources for young individuals in need. "This program connects youth with the help they need to find housing and resources; our goal is to make sure youth have what they need to be successful in life," Supervisor Chuck Washington, Third District and CSAC Immediate Past President expressed pride in the program's impact.
Homeless Youth Coordinator Monique Guerra brings hands-on experience to the table, having a background in foster care and homelessness. Guerra was quoted as saying, "My goal is to provide support, resources, and opportunities for these vulnerable individuals to break the cycle of homelessness." She aims to empower young people to pave their way to a stable future, which is reflected in the statistics revealed by the 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, indicating a drop of 27 percent in homeless youths compared to the previous year and a whopping 30 percent drop since 2020.
