Dr. Deneen Guss, County Superintendent of Schools
Connections Program
About the Connections Program
The Monterey County Office of Education's Connections Program is designed to serve our homeless, foster, and justice-involved youth and their families with services necessary to improve their educational, emotional, social, and physical well-being.
In order to meet the needs of our Monterey County families, we decided to start a program, The Connections Program, designed to serve our homeless, foster, and justice-involved youth and their families with services necessary to improve their educational, emotional, social, and physical well-being. We offer two services - Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Support (CS)- at no cost to any family members as part of their Medi-Cal benefits.
Who We Are
Monterey County Office of Education’s Homeless Children and Youth Services Program was established in 2019 and serves as a resource and support lead for Monterey County School Districts and Charter Schools. As our work evolved, we began to notice a steady increase in the number of children and youth identified as homeless, and that our families had fewer and fewer options to to find support with finding affordable housing. We also noticed our families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness were struggling with finding resources such as food, clothing, medical care, mental health care, oral health care, treatment for substance abuse, and finding community agencies.
Enhanced Care Management
Enhanced Care Management provides you and your family with assistance and support from a Family Case Specialist with the goal of helping to improve each family member's overall health and well-being. Once enrolled in ECM, the member and their Family Case Specialist work together to develop a comprehensive, patient-centered, and individualized care plan. The Family Case Specialist that is assigned to you and your family members will assist you by:
- Meeting with you in a location that is best for you and your family
- Connecting to and applying for community programs and services such as food, housing, and public benefits (CalFresh, SSI/SSDI, and disability income)
- Finding medical care, dental care, mental health care, or other needs
- Setting up transportation to your doctor visits.
- Completing Legal support referrals
- Coordinating School Support
- Finding child care
Community Supports
Community Supports provides you and your family with assistance and support from a Family Case Specialist with the goal of helping to improve each family member's housing stability. We recognize that stable housing enables children and youth to have better attendance and increases school involvement. The Family Case Specialist that is assigned to you and your family members will assist you with:
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Housing Transition Navigation Services: Help individuals find and obtain housing, especially those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
- Housing Deposits: Assistance with security deposits, utilities, and the first month's rent.
- Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services: Support to maintain a safe and stable tenancy, including assistance with rent, lease compliance, and addressing issues with landlords.
How to Get Started
- Do you receive MediCal? Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports are for MediCal recipients, only. If you do not have MediCal, we can help you apply. If you are a parent and do not have MediCal, but your children do, they can still receive services.
- To apply for Enhanced Care Management or Community Supports click on the link below to get started. You can also contact us at the phone number or email below.
Contact us to schedule an appointment or learn more about our services.
(831) 755-0300 ext. 1667