Balancing demanding courses, financial pressures, and other life responsibilities makes college challenging for anyone. Experiencing homelessness while pregnant or parenting compounds these stressful challenges, making it even more difficult for college students to succeed academically. A 2020 UCLA survey found that a significant percentage of California college students were experiencing homelessness: 20% of community college students and 5% of UC students.
A new program called the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) College Initiative supports local college students (ages 18–24) who are pregnant or parenting young children (ages 0–5). The program, which started accepting referrals this July, offers comprehensive services such as housing support and educational connections, helping address the critical challenges these “transition-age” individuals and their young children face. Qualifications include meeting the federal definition of “homeless” and needing housing support.
Project Teach, a long-running Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) program that promotes the educational success of children experiencing homelessness, operates the new program in partnership with Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of Northern California. The goal is for the YHDP College Initiative to fill gaps in local services, empowering vulnerable students to overcome barriers and achieve successful outcomes and independence.
Eligible students work with a Housing Navigator from LSS to receive assistance with security and utility deposits, up to six months of overdue utility and rent payments, plus vocational-based services. In addition, an Education Navigator from SCOE provides individualized support for the children of the college students, including educational tools, hearing and vision screenings, referrals to early learning programs, and diapers.
“Children under five who meet HUD’s homeless criteria are especially vulnerable,” said Tara Turrentine, SCOE's Coordinator for Homeless Education. “We looked upstream in Sacramento County to create this prevention-based program that removes barriers to education early, ensuring the youngest and most at-risk children get the support they need. By partnering with LSS to use youth-specific HUD funding, education is at the forefront with housing to serve the whole family.”
One of the program’s first referrals is a 24-year-old single parent who attends Sacramento City College. She and her three-year-old son currently share a hotel room, but the YHDP College Initiative is helping her pursue more permanent housing. The program has also connected her son with experts from his local school district and the Alta Regional Center to receive language assessment services. The mother says she has learned a lot about child development, reporting that she’s already learned some play-based techniques that will help strengthen her son’s language development.
Funding for the new program comes from a Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s goal is to end youth homelessness by specifically focusing on the 18–24 age range.
Referrals and Additional Information
Eligible students may be referred by local community agencies or participating California State University, Sacramento, and three Los Rios Community College District campuses (American River College, Cosumnes River College, and Sacramento City College). Self-referrals are also accepted.
- College Initiative Referral Form
- College Initiative Flyer—includes eligibility information
- College Initiative Brochure—printable program information
For information about education services, call SCOE at (916) 202-1007 or email kmorell@scoe.net. For information about housing support services, call Lutheran Social Services at (209) 739-0009.