Housing for Kids

We are dedicated to providing stable homes for public school students of Monterey County. With your support, we can work towards breaking the cycle of homelessness by covering upfront rental costs and providing emergency assistance to ensure that every child has a safe place to call home so they can thrive in school and beyond. Join us in making a lasting impact on homeless children's lives today.

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How we help

Find and implement sustainable solutions to housing insecurity

Our goal is to lower the number of students without homes in Monterey County public schools.

Provide assistance in attaining affordable housing for public school students of Monterey County and their families

H4K has developed a fund at the Community Foundation of Monterey County and a program at the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) to help any qualified homeless student in the county school system. When a request is made to the school homeless coordinator, the family is evaluated for the best assistance and a recommendation is made to Housing for Kids. A check is then issued from the fund directly to the landlord or designated debtor. Data is kept by the Housing for Kids Program to evaluate the success of our efforts.

H4K can provide one-time emergency assistance when a family is threatened with losing their home due to the inability to pay rent for approved reasons, such as illness costs, utility bills, temporary inability to work, etc.

When a family does find one of the rare affordable apartments in the area, we can provide move-in costs if needed for families who show they can maintain the rent after moving.

Beginning in 2024, H4K started working with Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and Downtown Streets Team in Salinas; over 100 children have found housing with our help and all remain in their new homes. Beginning 2024 school year, this assistance can now be given to any qualified student anywhere in the Monterey County school system thanks to contributions from our caring community.

Raise public awareness about the root causes of this crisis

Build awareness of this dire situation. We speak about this issue at community organizations and do whatever we can to let people know what is happening. If you would like us to speak to your organization, please contact us. They want to help when they know. We can lower the numbers of students without homes and it is up to us. If you are interested in helping with any aspects of communication, we welcome you with open arms. If you have skills in writing, working with social media, public speaking, web design, or want to talk about it, please connect with us.

Support those in the field already serving this population

We are fortunate in Monterey County to have a wealth of nonprofits and agencies led by highly skilled and committed professionals working to address the issue of homelessness. But it is a complex and multilayered problem, and the sad truth is that no matter how much they do or how well they do it, right now the need outpaces available resources. As one of its main objectives, Housing for Kids is dedicated to supporting the existing agencies and nonprofits in whatever way possible to help them succeed in their missions of preventing, ameliorating and/or ending homelessness.

Research

Housing insecurity is traumatic and has long-term effects

There are 12,959 homeless students enrolled in the Monterey County school districts. Whether sleeping in a car, a tent, or on the living room floor of another family’s house, these children are experiencing the trauma of housing insecurity.
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Struggling kids are either our responsibility today or everyone’s responsibility tomorrow. If we do not help our kids, the lasting impact of childhood trauma may cause long term consequences for them as adults.
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Homelessness is the No. 1 cause of students' failure to graduate and those without a high school degree are 3.5 times likely to experience homelessness in the future. The time to act is now.

Monterey County Statistics

Read the Report

Research

The Importance
of Home

Housing is crucial to health and well-being. A place to call home is the anchor of civic life in our communities, a hub from which to attend school, visit the public library, enjoy our parks and recreational spaces, go to church, join a sports team. Without that base, families and individuals are extremely handicapped in their ability to function successfully. Building an engaged and robust citizenry starts with people being secure in their places, persons and things. Supporting this kind of stable experience for elementary and high school students is critical to a solid future for all of us.

Read the Report

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Testimonials

Hear from the volunteers and families who have been impacted.

"I used to volunteer at a local kindergarten one morning a week. How these teachers do it, I have no idea. There were 22 students and 8 languages in this class. One boy kept coming to school and falling asleep until we realized that his family was living in the woods near the school at night. He wasn’t sleeping and was hungry. We all brought him food and let him sleep during 'circle time' while the school tried to help with the family housing.

“There aren’t many places for me to turn to for help with a special needs child. Shelters don’t cater to families like us, so we’ve been living in my car for the past few months. Downtown Streets Team is helping us get off the streets into an apartment where we can actually feel safe and where my son can continue his therapy.

“Downtown Streets Team has helped me set employment goals and I went from two part-time jobs to one full-time job. I asked my boss for a raise and I got it!! I couldn’t believe it. Now I’m working on finding a place of my own so I can provide for my daughter and keep her out of the abusive home we left with her dad.

“I’ve been living in my car for a few years now after hitting some bad luck and raising my son who is in high school. Having to see my son getting dressed for school outside of our car every day breaks my heart. Getting the help I need from Downtown Streets Team to move in somewhere would give my son a chance to have a roof over his head for the first time since he was in elementary school. Right now, I’ve got a part time job and I’m working on my goals trying to make this happen.

Leadership Team

Appalled by the shocking number of public school students of Monterey County who are experiencing homelessness, a group of concerned citizens have come together to help solve this crisis.
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We come from all walks of life - our ranks are comprised of people with a diversity of skills, all connected in our commitment to ensure every public school student of Monterey County has a home in our community.

Dianne Driessen

In her career as an Information Technology specialist, Dianne worked for IBM, Xerox, and McGraw-Hill Education, as well as educational institutions and government agencies. She was a founding board member of the Program Management Institute, Monterey Bay chapter.

Joan Costello

Joan started her career as an 8th grade math and science teacher after several years of sailing around the world. In retirement, she continues to educate by tutoring adult English language learners. She is involved in The Monterey Peninsula Quilters Guild, Seaside’s Neighborhood Improvement Commission, Seaside Artists Association, & Community Human Services in Monterey County.

Marty Fleetwood

Marty "Martha" Fleetwood is the Founder of Homebase/The Center for Common Concerns, a law and social policy organization dedicated to eradicating homelessness.

Laurie Kleinman M.D

Laurie spent her medical career specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Medical Acupuncture. As a team member of Acupuncturists Without Borders, Laurie has worked nationally and internationally, providing stress reduction acupuncture to refugees and those affected by natural disasters. Laurie has also provided free acupuncture treatments to homeless adults in Monterey County.

Sandra Leader

Sandra was the executive director of the Franklin Legacy Fund, which focuses its efforts on child and youth homelessness. She is a writer and editor, with over 30 years of experience in journalism, including her time at the San Francisco Chronicle and The Herald.

Karen Osborne

During her career in health care administration and psychology, Karen served on many boards in the Bay Area, including the Salvation Army Board and its family shelter, Senior Action Network, and several other organizations.

Robin Venuti

After a successful 43-year career of matching philanthropic intent with the needs of the nonprofit sector, Robin is now a realtor with Over the Moon Realty Inc. where she helps match families to homes.

Looking for a solution

Help us build awareness of this dire situation. We are open to help and suggestions

We welcome any opportunity to speak to your organization to raise public awareness of this issue

Let's Connect

MYTH BUSTING

80% have been homeless for 5 + years.

Contrary to common perception, 80 percent of the homeless are people who have lived in our county for five years or more. Many have jobs, but still cannot afford the cost of rentals in our county where the housing is expensive. Much of our homelessness is attributable to the low wages in our main industries of hospitality and agriculture, combined with a costly and insufficient housing supply.

If you would like to be a part of our efforts to provide permanent homes for unsheltered public school students of Monterey County, there are lots of opportunities. Have a little time and a big heart? Contact us at HousingforKids@gmail.com

Dear Donors,

Thank you!

We have been selected for Monterey County Gives this year for their matching gifts program. The campaign begins November 14 and extends through December 31. Last year was our first year receiving donations from you, our community, and together we have placed well over 100 students in permanent housing. THANK YOU SO MUCH. We hope to do much more this year with our county-wide program with the Monterey County Office of Education.