Bright Futures for Youth has received its largest-ever grant to expand outreach efforts and services for children and young adults facing housing insecurity. Executive Director Jennifer Singer says the 937-thousand dollar three-year state grant is from The Center at Sierra Health Foundation. And it will go, primarily, for their SAFE program, which they started in 2019. She says the original goal was to connect with 12 young people, under 25 years old, each year. But it has easily exceeded that number and they’re how helping 50…

click to listen to Jennifer Singer

Singer says the grant will also allow the program to add a drop-in center for youth at-risk of experiencing homelessness.That will be part of the new NEO Youth Center that will be built near the Fairgrounds…

click to listen to Jennifer Singer

Singer also says finding homeless youth is difficult in Nevada County, where small cities are surrounded by nature, compared to Sacramento and other large cities in the state. Many are couch surfing with family members and friends, sleeping in a vehicle, or even living on the street.