Youth Homelessness Across The Nation
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-11-15/youth-homelessness-across-nation
![Joseph left home at 15 and couch-surfed for five years. He looked up “homeless youth” on the Internet and found Covenant House. He wants to start his own record label.
- Photo credit "Almost Home" by Kevin Ryan. All rights reserved.](http://thedianerehmshow.org/sites/thedianerehmshow.org/files/imagecache/620xH/images/headline/121114_youthhomelessness_0.jpg "Joseph left home at 15 and couch-surfed for five years. He looked up “homeless youth” on the Internet and found Covenant House. He wants to start his own record label.
- Photo credit "Almost Home" by Kevin Ryan. All rights reserved.")
Joseph left home at 15 and couch-surfed for five years. He looked up “homeless youth” on the Internet and found Covenant House. He wants to start his own record label.
Photo credit "Almost Home" by Kevin Ryan. All rights reserved.
A look at youth homelessness across the United States, and why growing numbers of teens are ending up alone on the streets. Diane and guests discuss efforts to provide them shelter -- and a future.
Guests
Kevin Ryan
president and CEO of Covenant House International.
"Paulie Smith"
former homeless youth profiled in "Almost Home."
Cory Booker
mayor of Newark, N.J.
Related Items
Read An Excerpt
Excerpt from "Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope" by Kevin Ryan. Copyright 2012 by Kevin Ryan. Reprinted here by permission of Wiley. All rights reserved.
Comments
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We need more government programs to fix the government programs that caused this. Isn't that the answer to everything these days?
@ partisan politics: Pretty sure Covenant House is a private non-profit, which survives mostly on individual and/or corporate donors. In fact, I imagine they spend a great deal of time using those private funds to compensate for a failing government system called foster care. So, if you agree that there should be more private charity to help these young people become self sufficient and avoid government assistance, then please consider donating to Covenant House or other youth shelters. They will put it to good use.
@ partisan politics: Pretty sure Covenant House is a private non-profit, which survives mostly on individual and/or corporate donors. In fact, I imagine they spend a great deal of time using those private funds to compensate for a failing government system called foster care. So, if you agree that there should be more private charity to help these young people become self sufficient and avoid government assistance, then please consider donating to Covenant House or other youth shelters. They will put it to good use.
Thank you for finally taking a break from the political nonsense to talk about the lives of real human beings.
So sadly typical of what our nation has become. We are partisan ideologues first and human beings some distances after that.
mofycbsj wrote:
"So sadly typical of what our nation has become. We are partisan ideologues first and human beings some distances after that."
How very, sadly true.
Thank you so much for doing this show. This is MY story. I have never heard anyone tell my story before. I am so moved by this.
Amon
partisan politics wrote: "We need more government programs to fix the government programs that caused this. Isn't that the answer to everything these days?"
Must you politicize everything? These children are out in the streets and are suffering. Shouldn't that matter over any political bias?
I was a homeless New York teen in New York City. I left home at the end of my fourteenth year of life and I was a recipient of "Under 21" the Covenant House when it was on 8th ave. Times Square. Fr. Bruce Ritter was on staff for he was the Founder. Things may have went south for him but the ministry placed a foundation of kindness within my soul....Because of my 7 years of homelessness in New York City; I am writing a book called, The Book of Titus and it speaks about my Life as an Adopted Black Child and the proceeds will be used to establish the Promise Land for Children...a year round camp like environment an alternative school for homeless, unwanted, lonely, sick, physically challenged children. Being an abused child threw my life for a loop and homelessness did as well...Thanks for talking about this....205.207.9201....titustheteacher@yahoo.com and http://www.facebook.com/TitusPeaceBattle ....Peace...
If their families what nothing to do with them how do these childern get their legal documents to get jobs or got to school?
"Must you politicize everything? These children are out in the streets and are suffering. Shouldn't that matter over any political bias?"
It is not possible to separate what has been so completely politicized by politicians that value the state over the family. The politicizing is done I only respond too it. These kids are on the streets for the most part because of the government subsidizing of the irresponsible. Subsidize something and you get more of it.
It is sad for the teenagers, but take a look at their behavior and how they disrespect their parents anymore. Adults are afraid to discipline in fear of going to jail. The kids run the streets and don't do as they are told so they get kicked out of the house. Sometimes the parents are more than a child can deal with also and leaving home is the safest choice, it is sad.
I just wanted to add that I was very moved by the stories of homeless youth. I was rejected by my family when I came out at the age of 15 (1989), and at the time I recall thinking that I would not live to be 21. I am now 37 and just now getting a college education, thanks in no small part to a very loving partner.
There is so much I want to say, but the most important thing I would like for others, who may not be able to relate to this, to think of is that the experience of being rejected (or hated) by a young persons peers or school, community, the church and ultimately ones own family produces such deep scars. It is the equivalent of being spiritually and psychologically raped. I am still healing. And perhaps a part of that healing for me will be to get involved in my community and help out the kids today who should never have to experience what I did.
Thank you to the Diane Rehm show for covering this very important topic.
great question, and now you can are touching just a very small part of the massive obstacles these kids will face.
PP wrote Government assistance causes this problem? Baseless, intransigent, bitter, sociopathic. Just gets ignored, as it should.
Such an important topic. It's inexcusable that US society permits general homelessness. A sickness of humanity mostly caused by a capricious economic model.
It should be much more visible in mainstream media and unburdened by presumptions.
Private assistance, while it's surely generous and welcome, falls woefully short in quantity. And often, also in quality - too many religious institutions use the opportunity to proselytize and preach at people.
Reach out to those in need
Shine on!
Thank you Diane for the incredibly moving show today. I was listening in the car on my lunch break at work. I was brought to tears several times during the show. The accounts of kids living on the street, dealing with abuse and being rejected by their parents were heartbreaking.
I was inspired by how compassionate your guest was and reminded of the God given kindness that lives in all human hearts. The warmth of human kindness is so powerful that it can change a person's life forever. All it takes is for each of us to turn it on.
SHE IS GAY “
We were able to see our daughter this past weekend in Florida first time in 75 days. She has made good progress but still has a long journey ahead of her. She wanted me to tell you she truly appreciated your note to her it meant allot to hear from you. She wanted me to tell you she is meditating and praying allot these days and you are in her thoughts and prayers. She appears to have overcome and made a decision on her sexuality issue and she is gay, i told her i am ok with her decision i just want her happy and healthy. Thanks again for your support i
L. J
i would love to help young adults and parents in charlotte NC
Hundreds of times each day we hear cookie cutter conservatives blather about how "the government" encourages lazy, greedy parents to sponge off the public and dump their kids on the poor taxpayers and grossly abuse tax dollars.
Of course, it could not possibly be that taxes are the lowest since the 50's and the recent economic debacle CAUSED BY PROFLIGATE INVESTMENT TYPES AND BANKS has hit ordinary working poor so hard that every economist agrees that times are historically tough. Isn't it ironic that they thump the Bible and declare everybody else as lazy no-accounts? Read the New Testament and one cannot find Jesus or the Apostles calling ANYbody lazy or greedy other than the rich. By contrast there are dire warnings to the wealthy to cough up their assets to help the rest of mankind - AND to be extremely cautious about judging others without first being much stricter with one's self. Where are the religious braggerts who should be practising social justice and helping their "neighbors"?
The truth is that financial ruin is about 2 paychecks away for most citizens. It's darned hard to pull yourself up by the bootstraps if you are barefoot. Last I heard, those phony "Job Creators" are the ones with their hands out for bennies and lower taxes - and they have yet to fulfill their promises to create those jobs - basically demanding ransom for jobs they refuse to create. Yeah G.E. and the oil companies need all that help. What total hogwash.
BTW, EIC can only be gotten by those who EARN aka WORK. Welfare is administered by GOVERNORS, most of whom are "conservatives" and whose assistance requires WORK to get; and EIC was the brainy invention of that vaunted liberal Richard Millhouse Nixon....who also believed in an "annual minimum income". Blame the GOP governors and GOP Presidents. Johnson was not the lone wolf in providing welfare - which was totally turned over by Newt and Clinton.
partisan politics wrote: "It is not possible to separate what has been so completely politicized by politicians that value the state over the family. The politicizing is done I only respond too it. These kids are on the streets for the most part because of the government subsidizing of the irresponsible. Subsidize something and you get more of it."
Regardless how you feel about government, please take your head out of the proverbial right-wing, government hatred sand and consider that these children are human lives.
You conservatives claim to be pro-life, but it appears that you all are more interested with life in the womb as opposed to when the life is out of the womb. A digression...nevertheless, take your feelings of government out of the equation. And for these children to be on the street, it is apparent that they're getting nothing from government. Without any reference to government, what would you...as a human being do to help these children? Perhaps donate to Covenant House? Be a mentor to child? Be a foster parent? Adopt a child? These things do not require government assistance; rather, they require empathy.
IndieLady7 wrote: "Adopt a child"
We did, and I stand by my opinions. You cure the cancer before you get the nose job. That's the problem with you libs, too emotional to think straight. Your cries for the "children" are as empty and self serving as your ideas on taxing the rich.
partisan politics wrote: "We did, and I stand by my opinions. You cure the cancer before you get the nose job. That's the problem with you libs, too emotional to think straight. Your cries for the "children" are as empty and self serving as your ideas on taxing the rich."
While I applaud your adopting a child, the rest of your response sounds heartless and short-sighted at its worst. Nothing I said was self-serving or political. I was speaking from a perspective of a human being--regardless of whichever political affiliation.
While you are entitled to your opinions, I had simply asked that you take politics, taxes, and everything government out of the equation and simply look at the fact that these children are human lives. NOT Democratic children. NOT Republican children. They are children.
If you are a Christian, show some empathy. Both Jesus and the apostle Paul mentioned caring for the children, the orphans as a human issue...not a political issue.
The Mayor who was on the show said that his father was surrounded by people who loved him--but he used a term that I found much more moving--anyone remember what it was? Enfolded by love? It was a word that left very little room for escape, as I suspect it was intended to do.
Documentationn is a real problem for young homeless. My Godson was put out of his home by his mother the minute he turned 18. He has been couch surfing for a year and a half now. I am trying to help him with getting a job but he needs an ID we have managed to get him a birth certificate but you need a piece of official mail proving your address. He has no address what can you do. The saddest part was seeing him crushed when he realized he would be unable to vote in the election. The election was one of the few things he has been excited about. He finally showed some kind of emotion about an event only to have been denied the opportunity to try and make a difference in a society that has so completely marginalized him.
Comment to Amon. I understand, I came out when I was late 20's, because I was waiting till I moved out on my own. My dad was fine with it but my stepmother was a witch. It was horrible because she and I did everything together and then she trashed me for something that had nothing to do with her. She became so evil that she did not notify me that my dad had died, 4 miles away. Believe me I understand for gay teenagers, that is why I kept my mouth shut until I was on my own.