Serving Monterey and San Benito Counties; Community Homeless Solutions is the largest provider of homeless transitional housing and emergency shelter beds, including shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Formed in 1978, Shelter Plus was created in response to Monterey County’s need for a safe economically viable program to shelter and support people in crisis. Prior to 1978, the county did not have an emergency shelter to meet the needs of the growing homeless population. By partnering with the Department of Social and Employment Services, Shelter Plus was able to open the county’s first emergency shelter in Salinas for victims of domestic violence. In 1984, a separate agency named Peninsula Outreach began operating a food service program in Seaside to feed the homeless, offering a soup kitchen and food pantry. Five years later, the agency expanded its services to include housing and opened the first emergency shelter on the Monterey Peninsula for homeless women and children. In 1998, Shelter Plus and Peninsula Outreach merged to form Shelter Outreach Plus The merger of these two nonprofits allowed the new agency to provide more efficient, cost-effective programs for people in crisis in Monterey County, while eliminating duplicative costs and services. In 2015, Shelter Outreach Plus changed its name to Community Homeless Solutions to capture the spirit of our commitment to working with the local community to create solutions for the area’s homeless. Since its inception, Community Homeless Solutions has been Monterey County’s primary provider of support services and housing both for those fleeing domestic violence and for homeless individuals and families. The agency continues to believe that support services and counseling, coupled with being housed in a safe environment, are vital to helping individuals and families make the step by step progression to stable and independent living.
