- Jessica Blank
- Almost Home
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Author’s Note
The kids in Almost Home are fictional, but unfortunately, their situation isn’t. More than 1.5 million teens in America run away each year—joined by at least a million “throwaways,” kids who are kicked out or abandoned by their parents. Teens often wind up homeless after years of abuse, neglect, and/or family struggles with addiction; many bounce around in foster homes for years before winding up on the streets. And once they’re out there, they are incredibly vulnerable. If you’re homeless and a kid, it can be very difficult to do the things—like go to school and get a job—that will enable you to survive. Many homeless kids are too young to work a job legally, and often wind up being forced to sell drugs, or to exchange sex for food, clothes, or shelter.
Living on the streets is hard. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are three times as high among runaway youth; at least sixty percent of homeless kids are believed to be victims of serious physical or sexual abuse. Forty-one percent of teens on the street have been abandoned by their parents or guardians. Thirty-five to fifty percent of homeless youth identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; the vast majority of these kids have been kicked out of their homes just for being who they are.
There are dedicated people out there committed to helping homeless teens survive—but the problem is huge and resources are few. If this issue is something you care about, please consider volunteering at a shelter or drop-in center, or working to raise awareness about the struggles of homeless teens. Write to your representatives, or get active in your area.
And if you or someone you know is on the street or at risk, you’re not alone. Below are some resources for teens on the street or in crisis:*
NATIONAL:
National Safe Place Program: Safe Place is a network of sites across America that provide immediate help and resources for all young people in crisis. To find a Safe Place in your area, go to www.nationalsafeplace.org or call 1-888-290-7233.
National Runaway Switchboard: Operates a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-RUNAWAY. Call if you are thinking of running away, or if you have a friend who has run and needs help. NRS also runs the HOME FREE program with Greyhound Bus Lines, providing free bus rides home to runaway youth who want to get home.
Runaway Hotline: Runaway Hotline serves as a nationwide information and referral center for homeless youth needing food, shelter, medical assistance, counseling, and related services. 1-800-231-6946.
Covenant House: Provides shelter and services to homeless youth in more than fifteen cities nationwide, and operates the Nineline, 1-800-999-9999, a 24-hour crisis line for youth. The Nineline provides crisis counseling and referrals from a database of over 30,000 shelters and organizations helping teens.
Children’s Rights of America: Offers support and crisis counseling for runaways and other youth. 1-800-442-HOPE.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Childhelp USA: A national, 24-hour toll-free hotline for child abuse. 1-800-4-A-CHILD.
The Trevor Project: A 24-hour hotline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens in crisis. 1-866-4-U-Trevor.
Children of the Night: Twenty-four-hour help for teenage prostitutes or kids involved in pornography; rescue from pimps, shelter referrals, court appearances, medical appointments, tickets home, birth certificates, and other assistance. Twenty-fourhour hotline: 1-800-551-1300. www.childrenofthenight.org
LegalServices for Children: Provides confidential legal and related social services to young people free of charge. Help with guardianship, education, mental health, and foster care issues. 415-863-3762.
Roaddawgz: An educational and creative community by and for homeless youth, aimed at empowerment, mutual support, and community building. www.roaddawgz.org
*This list is meant to serve as a resource, and not as an endorsement. All organizations listed herein are solely responsible for their own conduct and actions.