Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) announced a $7.94 million Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant awarded to the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) to help them identify homeless youth in San Diego and connect them to housing services, as part of their ongoing effort to prevent and end youth homelessness.

“Youth are often hidden among San Diego’s homeless population, which makes it challenging to connect them with resources like education, health care, employment, and housing. This grant will help the Regional Task Force expand their work to reach and serve this vulnerable population,” said Rep. Peters. “I’ve fought to increase the overall funding San Diego receives through the Continuum of Care formula, but until we achieve that fix, federal grants and support are crucial as San Diego works to reduce our housing and homelessness crisis.”

The announcement follows a letter sent by Rep. Peters in support of the Regional Task Force’s application for the grant. The letter stressed the Regional Task Force’s invaluable role in ensuring San Diego’s public, private, and nonprofit organizations put forward a coordinated effort to address the unique challenges of homeless youth, who are traditionally more difficult to find, survey, and effectively help. Earlier this year, Rep. Peters fought to secure funding for San Diego Unified School District’s Education for Homeless Youth Program, which connects homeless youth with community resources so they can succeed in school.

The grant was awarded through HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which supports a wide range of housing programs including rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and host homes. San Diego was one of 11 communities awarded the grant, receiving the most money out of all the awardees.