By the early months of 2021, the Center for Human Services will have a new facility to better serve homeless teens and young adults.

The Center for Human Services is building a Youth Navigation Center that will engage, stabilize and prepare homeless youth in Stanislaus County. The Youth Navigation Center will house several programs and resources under one roof. Services will include:

— Intake, assessment and development of a housing plan;

— Hutton House, which provides crisis, drop-in and shelter services for teens 12-17 years old;

— A 24-bed low-barrier shelter for 18-24-year olds;

— Day services for 18-24-year olds at a drop-in center;

— Transitional housing for 15 young people; and

— System navigation and connections to permanent housing, education and employment services.

“We’re so excited to bring this resource to Stanislaus County,” said Cindy Duenas, the executive director for the Center for Human Services. “Our goal is to end youth homelessness – to engage young people early in their struggle and divert them quickly to housing options.  The Youth Navigation Center will be the anchor for this system.”

The 2019 Stanislaus County Point-In-Time count showed that 387 youth and young adults (ages 0 – 24) were homeless and of those, 118 were unsheltered. On a national scale, one in 10 young adults 18 – 25 and one in 30 teens 13 – 17 will experience homelessness in the course of a year.

The Center will be located in a 14,300 square foot site located next door to the Center for Human Services at 2000 W. Briggsmore Ave., in Modesto.

The Center is launching a capital campaign to raise $1.5 million to support the buildout cost.

The campaign is structured so that the community can contribute to one or more specific target areas of their choice through naming and recognition opportunities.

“By uniting the passion and commitment of our partners, community members, financial supporters and staff, we create sustainable solutions that allow us to continue changing lives, building futures and helping families,” Duenas said.

To donate visit http://www.centerforhumanservices.org/capitalcampaign