PROGRAMS
Our programs do so much more than merely house homeless youth. Urban Street Angels offers a unique blend of supportive housing, on-the-job employment training, and holistic mental health services.
MORE THAN JUST HOUSING
Urban Street Angels is not your average shelter. Our youth are placed in a housing program specific to their needs. We take an evidence-based approach that improves the odds for all transition-age youth in our programs.
2020 reports on homelessness estimated that California held 161,548 homeless. Today, California’s homeless population has increased to 181,399.
With a primary approach to homelessness being food and temporary housing, it’s safe to say the continued increase in our state’s homelessness challenge suggests we’re missing something. So we’re doing more—more personalized programs for more sustainable outcomes.
OUR HOUSING PROGRAMS
AT A GLANCE
150 TRANSITION-AGE HOMELESS YOUTH HOUSED IN OUR PROGRAMS NIGHTLY
HOUSING PROGRAMS HAVE WAISTLISTS OF MORE THAN 60 APPLICANTS DAILY
86% of YOUTH WITH A STAY OF 30 DAYS OR MORE FIND PERMANENT HOUSING
Housing programs at Urban Street Angels offer a variety of approaches and supports that are tailored to the unique needs of every youth facing homelessness. Our innovative approaches include mixtures of case management, mental and physical health care support, holistic healthcare services, short-term and long-term housing, with an eye toward the particular needs of the participant. Programs like our Rapid Rehousing Program, Just Be U, and Housing Our Youth are all aimed at supporting homeless youth toward self-sustainability and personal wellness.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS
We believe in building our youth up with skills that last a lifetime. 86% of participants who have completed Urban Street Angels programs are employed, independent, and ready to take on the world.
Our employment opportunity programs are at the heart of where our passion lies. As platforms for skills development intended to serve our youth over time, these programs offer an important scaffolding that allow homeless youth to find proven success. When we do more, they grow more.
Last year, more than 200 San Diego youth facing homelessness participated in our employment programs, with a majority achieving sustainable full- or part-time work.
OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS
AT A GLANCE
Timmy’s Place
In partnership with the Rolf Benirschke Foundation, the Lucky Duck Foundation, and UPAC, Timmy’s Place is an open-to-the-public pizzeria and print shop dedicated to training and employing our homeless youth. With the ability to train 50 youth per year, this program offers skills in customer service, food preparation, screen printing, merchandise handling, design, employee etiquette and so much more.
This program is a paid opportunity for our youth, and therefore requires continued revenue to maintain employment opportunities for our homeless. Participate in Fund a Shift to sponsor a youth employee for a 4-hour shift at Timmy’s Place.
8 WEST
In partnership with SoapyMania, our 8 West employment opportunity trains and employs homeless youth to handcraft and sell artisanal soaps. When employed through 8 West, our youth learn skills in goods and manufacturing, merchandise handling, apprenticeship, and employee etiquette.
This revolutionary social enterprise doesn’t just produce some of the best soaps in San Diego: it’s changing lives one bar at a time.
Support 8 West and our homeless youth employees by donating and shopping the site.
TRADE SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Trade schooling helps pave a path to educate our youth with skills that are immediately usable in today’s competitive job market. In California, average trade school costs can be well above $30,000. So, how then, are our homeless youth supposed to gain a supportive and skill-based education? This is why we’ve created our Trade School Program. Here, we focus on youth devoted to learning, helping them pave a path toward their own success by removing all or their financial hurdles.
Beginning in 2023, Urban Street Angels began developing a trade school program with support from the Padres Foundation and the Lucky Duck Foundation. This schooling program operates in congruence with our mission to build lifelong, sustainable skills in our youth. Today, we are pleased to present Urban Street Angels Trade Schools. With devoted partnerships in local education programs, our youth are able to gain the skills they need to succeed alongside supportive professionals. Trade schools currently offered include:
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- Automotive Technician, Body and Paint
- Welding
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Culinary and Baking
- Medical Assistant
- EMT
- Commercial Truck Driving
- Firefighting