Coalition of Homeless Services Providers

Mission

To "eliminate homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties by promoting interagency coordination to develop and sustain a comprehensive system of housing and services designed to maximize the self-sufficiency of individuals and families."

The Big Idea

Being without a home is one of the most difficult things that an individual or family can endure. The Coordinated Assessment and Referral System (CARS) is designed to identify the most vulnerable homeless people in our community and prioritize them for housing. Anyone experiencing homelessness in Monterey County is able to participate in a simple assessment, with any of our 28 participating programs, to identify the best type of housing intervention for their household. CARS serves a wide variety of homeless clients, including: families with children, veterans, single men and women, veterans, the disabled, youth ages 18-24 and the elderly. More than 100 trained assessors stationed throughout the community ensures that homeless persons have easy access to CARS, eliminating the need for a client to go from agency to agency to find assistance. CARS is a consistent community wide process to match the most vulnerable to housing resources. We are working to help everyone experiencing homelessness in Monterey County find "the way home" and we will not stop until we are successful.

My husband and I are both disabled and lacked the resources to take care of our 4 children. Thanks to the Homeless Coalition and CARS, three agencies worked together to get my family off of the streets. I am proud to say that we now have a safe place to call home. Thank you CHSP for never giving up on us!

- Sheena