The City of Modesto is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a recipient of the Audrey Nelson Award from the National Community Development Association (NCDA). This award recognizes the result of the City’s partnership in the development of a new Youth Navigation Center in partnership with the Center for Human Services, a local nonprofit serving youth and families in Stanislaus County. The award will be presented at the NCDA annual conference in Washington DC on January 27th

As a partner in thealt= local efforts to address youth homelessness, the City provided the Center for Human Services with a $500,000 loan and a $500,000 grant funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the acquisition of property to be used as a Youth Navigation Center. The Youth Navigation Center provides shelter, housing, and comprehensive drop-in services to any youth or young adults in Stanislaus County between the ages of 13-24. It created a single space where previously fragmented services can be relocated and allow for a coordinated system of care for youth experiencing a crisis, housing instability, or homelessness. The YNC opened its doors on October 4, 2021. The City’s initial investment into this project spurred the expansion of a continuum of services focused on youth, and led to an award of $3,973,353 from the State of California Homekey 2.0 program for the development of 14 permanent housing units that will be occupied later this year.

“With 1 in 10 young adults experiencing homelessness, it is clear that youth homelessness is a growing crisis,” said Jessica Hill, Interim Community and Economic Development Director for the City of Modesto. “We are proud of this partnership and being a part of a team that is working to end homelessness in our community.”alt=

NCDA is a national non-profit organization that represents cities and counties nationwide which administer U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding. The NCDA is committed to assisting local governments to achieve high-quality and locally-responsive programs that make communities better places in which to live, particularly for low- and moderate-income people. Established in 1987, the Audrey Nelson Award is given in recognition of local governments that show exemplary uses of Community Development Block Grant Funds. The award is named in honor of Audrey Nelson who was the first Deputy Executive Secretary of NCDA

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