The funds were awarded to The Salvation Army as part of a new approach to housing homeless young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 years old. The organization will provide housing and offer educational, job training and therapeutic support to homeless young adults with an overall focus on trauma recovery using elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing.
The Salvation Army will also open a day drop-in center for homeless young adults.
"Right now there are no daytime services like these available for this population in the city of Houston. There are many good agencies working very hard on various pieces of our community problem of homelessness, including young adults. There are shelters for homeless individuals to stay at over night, but homeless young adults report they are not aware of daytime resources available for them during normal business hours," said Gerald Eckert, director of Social Services for The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command.
"We have been very successful in helping other homeless populations transition into permanent housing situations. Part of our reason for proposing and frankly receiving the funding for this program and Drop-In Center have been our success rates to date," said Major Chris Flanagan, Area Commander for The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command.
The Salvation Army says 700 men, women and children find a safe place to sleep at one of the non-profit's four shelters in the Houston metropolitan area every night.
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