City Council’s “Yes” Vote Signals New Path Forward for Downtown Streets Team Participants

Modesto, CA, October 14, 2025 - The City of Modesto is ensuring the mission of the Downtown Streets team continues with a "yes" vote by the City Council, approving a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with United Way of Stanislaus County for a partnership with the Modesto Gospel Mission.

With the Downtown Streets Team slated to cease operations on October 31, 2025, the transition to United Way and the Modesto Gospel Mission will make sure there is no service gap for people rebuilding their lives out of homelessness. This is a meaningful shift for a service that has been impactful for our communities' most vulnerable residents and their contributions towards making Modesto Mo'Beautiful.

The United Way will serve as the fiscal agent overseeing a funding allocation not to exceed $1,250,000. It will also work towards developing a sustainability plan to support funding the operation for the future. The City will coordinate efforts with the Stanislaus Community Foundation, and other community partners to identify additional grant and funding opportunities to support the program beyond the first year of the program. The funding sources for this initiative include:

• State Grant: $1,050,000
• Private Contribution: $150,000
• Litter Abatement Fund: $50,000

"The United Way is proud to partner with the City of Modesto and Modesto Gospel Mission to support our unhoused neighbors. Building on the strong foundation laid by Downtown Streets Team, this program provides meaningful work, connection to vital services, and a pathway to stability and dignity for people in our community," says Keristofer Seryani, Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of Stanislaus County.

The Modesto Gospel Mission will operate the program, ensuring essential outreach and employment support for up to 68 participants. They will provide blight abatement services in our community while obtaining necessary work experience and earning an hourly wage.

The goal is to begin offering wrap-around support services to program participants on November 1, 2025, they will support participants as they navigate through the barriers to housing, mental health issues, substance use treatment services and accessing additional public benefits.

"The Modesto Gospel Mission is honored and excited to continue the important work of the Downtown Streets Team, says Jason Conway, Chief Executive Officer of the Modesto Gospel Mission. "This program provides meaningful employment opportunities and case management for individuals experiencing homelessness while helping keep our city clean and beautiful. We look forward to partnering with the City of Modesto to bring hope, dignity, and purpose to our neighbors through this transformative effort."

Although the City was disappointed to hear of the closing of the Downtown Streets team in Modesto, the City once again relied on community collaboration to keep the doors open to self-sufficiency and hope for people who need it the most, a guiding principle of the Camp2Home initiative.

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Sonya Severo
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