MPUSD partners with Motel 6 to help students who are experiencing homelessness

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION)- During a board meeting Tuesday evening,  The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education approved an agreement with two Motel 6 locations.

All of this is in hopes to provide short-term emergency housing for MPUSD students who are experiencing homelessness.

The locations will be Marina at 100 Reservation Road and Monterey at 2124 N. Fremont Street.

“In the past six months, we've been working with Motel 6 directly,” said Donnie Everett, the Asst. Superintendent for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. ”Collaborating in a partnership in order to identify a way that we can provide an immediate access to short term housing within Motel 6.”

Some families are facing eviction, high cost living, or nowhere to go. The district hopes this new program will ease their burdens.

Kayla Antes, with the Nation Center Youth Law, serves as a liaison for the program already received a call from a family asking about the program.

“It's critical,” said Antes. “Giving them this ability to be less stress and take this burden off even for three days, give us time to work with the family to set up a more long term plan.”

Antes told KION families will stay at the motel for three days but can extend it depending on the situation.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be an MPUSD student
• Be eligible for Mckinney-Vento services
• Live or reside with the family when requesting services
• Student/Family will work with MPUSD community liaison or social worker during the process
• Not have any other alternative housing option

This was made possible by a partnership program fully funded by the American Rescue Plan II grant which was provided by the California Department of Education. The district said this program is the first of its kind. MPUSD will cover the costs for families now till June 30, thanks to grant funding.

“We're able to utilize that funding to go directly to meet this particular need for our families,” said Everett.