San Bernardino, CA — A San Bernardino County nonprofit says $5 million in state funding will help it open a youth resource center, renovate vacant homes for transitional housing and pursue an apartment complex on unused land at Patton State Hospital, all aimed at young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) announced the funding for the Family Assistance Program at an Oct. 20 event in San Bernardino.
“It’s time that we come together as a region, put a focus on our homeless youth, give them the resources that they need and ensure that they understand that their dreams are just as important as anyone else’s in the community,” Ramos said.
The funding comes after 28,164 San Bernardino County K-12 students, 7% of total enrollment, were identified as homeless or lacking secure housing during the 2024–25 school year, according to the county’s Community Indicators Report. Among those students, 88% were sharing housing with other families because of economic hardship.
Family Assistance Program, which has served San Bernardino County for more than 30 years, runs domestic violence shelters, transitional housing, youth outreach and re-entry programs. It already operates the Open Arms Youth Drop-in Center in downtown San Bernardino and a tiny home village for young adults ages 18 to 24 in Victorville.
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Darryl Evey, the organization’s chief executive officer, said the youth resource center would connect young people with job placement help, career training, substance use services and other programs.
“Children should not be focusing on ‘where am I going to eat, where am I going to sleep?'” Evey said.
The center could also house several nonprofits that now operate from separate locations around San Bernardino. Evey said about 10 organizations serving local youth together pay roughly $50,000 a month in rent, and sharing a building could free up more of that money for direct services.
The organization is also working with the city of San Bernardino to renovate vacant homes for transitional housing.
The third piece, an apartment complex on vacant property at Patton State Hospital, is the furthest from reality.
Family Assistance Program has not said how the $5 million will be split among the three projects, how many apartment units are planned, or when construction would begin.
Evey said the organization expects to receive the money in December or January and hopes to open the resource center by May 2027, depending on planning and facility preparation.
The need
Most homeless students in the county are not in shelters, cars or on the street, but doubled up with relatives or other families. Among the general population, the county’s 2026 Point-in-Time Count found 3,718 people experiencing homelessness, down 3.1% from 2025 but up 12% from 2022.
Young people who have aged out of foster care, left unstable homes or lived on the street often struggle with the basics of independence: holding a job, finishing school and even getting a birth certificate or ID. Family Assistance Program currently offers tutoring, housing help, counseling referrals and help getting identification cards and driver’s licenses.
For more information about Family Assistance Program, visit familyassist.org.
