November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

Published November 10, 2008 @ 05:53AM PT

Between 5 and 7 percent of the general teenage population under 18 are homeless each year. That's anywhere from 1 and 1.5 million youth who are forced to live on the streets, are likely to drop out of school, and face an increased risk of experiencing sexual abuse.

That's one homeless youth for every playground in America. One homeless youth for every school cafeteria.

If you think these numbers are shocking and this problem is unacceptable, then read the declaration and take a stand by adding your name below. Invite a friend to sign on. Nobody should ever have to experience life on the streets, especially youth.

The Declaration to End Youth Homelessness

I have a clean, safe place to call home.
I do not have to sell my body to survive.
I have clean clothes.
I have the right to an education.
I am not treated as a criminal when I've done nothing wrong.
I am seen and heard by adults to can help me and not hurt me.

By pledging your name in support of this declaration, you are joining the movement to ensure that National Homeless Youth Awareness month will continue to be recognized until every homeless child on the streets has a safer place for healing, learning, and growing. Your support shows that you recognize youth homelessness as a serious problem, and that you care enough to make a difference.

[From Virgin Mobile's www.homelessyouthamongus.org.]

VISIT HOMELESSYOUTHAMONGUS.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS

Share this Post

Comments (4)

This is your generation because this is what you allow yourself to become. In this country you have the freedom to choose two paths. One is to prosperity and the other is too a life of handouts. What do you base this number of 1.3 million on. Is that 1.3 million that were forced there or who chose to be there. You choose to be an addict. You choose to drop out of school. You choose not to get a job no matter how little it pays. The constitution of the United States of America gives you these rights but no where does it say I need to support you. I worked during High School, I worked my way through College, I never did drugs and did not allow myself to become addicted. Grow up, get your butt off the street, put down the sign and take care of yourself. No one needs to do it for you. No matter how much money is raised and how much is given to those on the street the problem will still exist. You can't throw money at lazy people. These are lazy people. They know they are and are waiting for another handout. I will not support this movement.

Posted by Chris Richardson on 11/10/2008 @ 11:54AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Chris
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Chris,

Our society creates winners and losers yet every human being needs to feel self worth and gratification, sometimes when an individual ends up on the loosing end of life failure becomes far easier to accept than success and the only gratification within reach can become sex and drugs. Prostitutes, drug dealers, and abusive family members prey on the weakest in our society to further their own means and people who are barely able to control their lives are manipulated and used until their lives are shattered and destroyed. They are held back from developing the life skills needed to survive independently and are left with very little chance for change or success in life.

We can help rebuild their lives. Along with counseling and training we teach them skills that help them gain a sense of self worth until they reach a level where reckless gratification through drugs and sex becomes a step backwards and no longer appealing. All of our existing programs today focus on short term solutions and once the support is removed people always revert back to the level of development they are at in life.
It is common in low income housing for people’s friends and relatives to run around causing problems, burning and melting signs, painting graffiti, pounding on doors at 3 am, screaming, fighting, arguing, at all hours of the day and night. Family, friends, drug dealers, and prostitutes influence and control these people’s lives and if they are not able to fend them off their chances of growth and achieving independent living are very slim.
The only way to break the cycle of chronic homelessness is to impose personal growth on individuals. Ultimately each person must want to change and work at progressing, no one can force others to change.
Some people simply will not change, but every person should be given the opportunity.

I have made a choice to be part of the solution and have created a duplicatable "Housing Diversion" model that I hope will help the people who choose to accept it.

I have created a website dedicated to chronic homelessness www.housingdiversion.com but I am having to teach myself HTML before I can get it up and running.

Chris I understand your perspective but do you really believe every homeless persons story is the same and that none of the 1.3 million people are worthy of a hand up? (not a handout)

Posted by David Branum on 11/10/2008 @ 06:16PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
Excellent post David... thanks for writing.

Posted by Christopher Verzonilla on 08/02/2009 @ 06:12PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by David
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
To Chris, Every single homeless person has a story. You don't know what it is. If you did know....if you lived the same life, with the same experiences, you don't know whether you would be in the same situation. If you get sick, you can't choose to be well. If you are in a car accident and become disabled, you can't choose to keep your job. If you have mental illness, you can't choose to healthy. And if you've experienced unimaginable abuse you can't walk away, forget your experiences and hold down a job.

However, I'm working with an organization called homelesspartners.com -- it will be in 9 cities this year -- Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Portland and 4 cities in Canada.

We post the Christmas Wish List and a little about their "story" on the website homelesspartners.com so that people can read the story, buy them the gift that they asked for, and deliver it to a shelter along with a personal card. It's a way for people to help in a safe way and communicate that they care.
And David, I'd be interested in seeing your website - housingdiversion.com but it didn't work when I put it in my browser -- I encourage you to keep trying.
If anyone reads this who can do publicity for homelesspartners.com, --put it on facebook or anywhere else --please do.......it needs all the publicity it can get.

Peace and Grace,
jennie
ps Chris, I hope that nothing catastrophic ever happens to you that would put you in the "homeless" position.

Posted by Jennie Keeran on 11/11/2008 @ 07:16AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Jennie
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.