By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–As hundreds of students prepare to return to school for the 2022-2023 academic year, the Monarch School Project is broadening access to mental and behavioral health to its students through newly acquired grants from The California Department of Education and the Lucky Duck Foundation.
Monarch School Project is a recipient of the Social Isolation Support Grant awarded by The California Department of Education in the amount of $244,450. This grant is offered to community-based organizations supporting local educational agencies with technical assistance and/or the implementation of high-quality integrated academic, behavioral, and social-emotional learning practices that target and counter social isolation.
The school’s mental and behavioral program was additionally awarded a $100,000 match by the Lucky Duck Foundation, a non-profit organization with a primary mission to fund and activate high-impact programs that alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County.
“The Lucky Duck Foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County, and the Monarch School Project does critical and important work to make a positive difference in the lives of its unhoused students. We are pleased to provide $100,000 in matching funds to enable Monarch to expand this work and increase the number of youth they can serve with this program,” said Drew Moser, executive director of the Lucky Duck Foundation. “Addressing youth homelessness is an urgent imperative and we believe this program will change the trajectory of many young lives.”
Many of Monarch’s students are experiencing emotional trauma upon arrival, mostly through existing homelessness or a harsh living situation that has led them to lose housing stability. The school’s mental and behavioral program helps students turn their experience into a positive one through consistent support that helps them develop healthy coping skills for their emotions.
“As a community school, Monarch provides the resources our students need to address trauma and thrive. We are immensely grateful for the Lucky Duck Foundation’s support and the state funding we received to continue to alleviate the stigma of homelessness in our community. We’re now poised to elevate our focus on nurturing the behavioral health and emotional prosperity of our kids, a goal that is particularly relevant right now” said Afira DeVries, president and CEO of Monarch School Project.
Monarch School Project is a nonprofit organization that nurtures resilience in unhoused youth and their families.
