The Sarasota YMCA recently received a grant of $132,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support a new effort, the Street REACH program. A project of the YMCA's Schoolhouse Link program, Street REACH (Reconnecting Employment, Academics, and Community Housing) funding will support staffing, including a REACH Case Manager and a part-time Licensed Mental Health Counselor, supplies such as basic needs packs and clothing vouchers, and bus passes for clients. The goals of Street REACH are to keep unaccompanied homeless youth safe, help them enter stable housing, gain education and employment, improve interpersonal relationships and both mental health and physical wellness, and learn the life skills necessary for them to become self-sufficient. Street REACH is projected to contact and serve 130 youth per year. For more information, go to the website below or call 941-923-6100.

Sarasota YMCA