SAN MARCOS — Casa de Amparo is offering a helping hand to young women in need of safe housing in North County, opening seven beds in a new transitional living program at its San Marcos campus.
On Thursday, the child abuse prevention nonprofit officially opened four apartment units that will house seven female youth ages 18-21 for up to 18 months, while providing wraparound services to help them find permanent housing.
Eligible participants include homeless or housing-insecure young women who don’t have a safe place to stay, have been kicked out of their homes, are couch-surfing, are living on the street, or are at risk of becoming homeless, according to Casa de Amparo.
“Our program provides 18 months of stable housing, case management, life skills development, education and appointment support, and a community of adults who show up consistently,” said Director of Transitional Housing Elyse James.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is providing Casa de Amparo $350,000 annually for the next three years to run the program, with a 10% match from the organization.
The program includes three two-bedroom units and one one-bedroom unit on the campus. Each apartment unit features private bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen with new appliances, a living room, and an in-unit washer and dryer.
Casa de Amparo expects to receive their first clients by next week. Agencies such as San Diego Rescue Mission and the County of San Diego are already referring potential clients whom they have connected with through outreach.
Angel Lopez, who conducts outreach and case management in the city of Vista for San Diego Rescue Mission, said it’s challenging to find housing programs to support homeless and at-risk youth. For them, the transitional living program at Casa de Amparo is a game-changer.
“We get a lot of youth clients. It’s been very difficult finding them a place to go,” Lopez said. “We’ve already sent out applications.”
Homeless transition-age youth in San Diego County, which includes youth ages 18 to 24, are “woefully” undercounted in San Diego County, said Regional Task Force on Homelessness CEO Tamara Fuller.
This is partially because those in unstable housing, such as those who are couch surfing, staying in a motel, or living temporarily in an unsafe situation, are not considered homeless by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Data from the 2025 Point in Time Count, an annual one-night survey of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness in San Diego County, counted 302 unsheltered youth and 380 sheltered youth in the county, plus 80 unstably housed youth
“We have a very large problem here in San Diego,” said Fuller.
Transition-age youth who end up living on the streets are at high risk of experiencing sexual exploitation, abuse or trafficking. Services like the transitional living program can prevent youth from experiencing these traumatic situations, Fuller said.
“If not for programs like this, many times they are put in really harrowing situations and positions,” she said. “So many of them become, if not wrapped around in these programs, our chronically homeless population down the road.”
Casa de Amparo will provide individualized case management for transitional living clients, connecting them to education and employment opportunities and providing life skills and financial literacy support.
Program participants will also be able to access free health care services at Casa de Amparo’s onsite health clinic operated by TrueCare.
Some clients may stay up to 21 months if needed. Casa de Amparo will also conduct street outreach as part of the transitional living program, sending a pair of outreach workers into the community to find the most overlooked youth.
Casa de Amparo CEO Kathy Karpé said they hope to grow the program to offer more than seven units.
“Today we open seven new homes, but the need does not stop at seven or the basic need of housing,” Karpé said.
During the grand opening of the transitional living program, Karpé also announced the launch of a $6 million capital campaign for Casa de Amparo to expand its capacity for its mental health programs, invest in more staffing and training, and ensure long-term stability.
“Today is not only our program launch, but the start of our next chapter,” Karpé said. “We believe North County deserves a comprehensive integrated continuum of care, where housing, behavioral health, and supportive services work together seamlessly.”
Casa de Amparo is also constructing a 16-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility on its campus, which will provide crisis-oriented mental health treatment for youth ages 12 to 21. The facility is funded by a nearly $20 million Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) grant from the state Department of Health Care.
