Shelter Outreach Plus has a long and successful history of service in Monterey County. Shelter Outreach Plus was formed when two Monterey county nonprofit organizations, Shelter Plus and Peninsula Outreach, merged in 1998.

Shelter Plus began services in 1978 in response to a need within the county for a safe and economically viable program to shelter and support people in crisis. Prior to 1978, Monterey County did not have an emergency shelter to meet the needs of the growing homeless population. By partnering with the Department of Social and Employment Services, Shelter Plus was able to open the county’s first emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence in Salinas.

Peninsula Outreach began in 1984 in Seaside as a food service program for the homeless that included a soup kitchen and food pantry. In 1989 the agency expanded its services to include housing and opened the first emergency shelter on the Monterey Peninsula for homeless women and children.

The merger between Shelter Plus and Peninsula Outreach has allowed the new agency, Shelter Outreach Plus, to eliminate duplicative efforts and better provide more efficient, cost effective programs for people in crisis within Monterey County. Since its inception, S.O.P has been the primary provider of supportive housing and services for domestic violence victims and homeless individuals and families within the county's Continuum of Care. The agency serves as single-point of entry for people in crisis into an in-house continuum where education, recovery, and employment are viewed as key steps to a safe and self-sufficient lifestyle.