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Each year, My Friend's Place welcomes over 1,500 homeless youth ages 12 and over, and their
children, who are escaping abusive homes, emancipated from foster care with insufficient skills
and resources, or raised on the street as victims of the cycle of homelessness.
Once on the streets, the necessities of survival and need to cope force youth to compromise
their health and well being through high-risk behaviors including prostitution, substance abuse,
illegal activity and violence. In turn, they are at great risk of contracting life-threatening
diseases, developing drug and alcohol addictions, and demonstrating disruptive behavior thereby
increasing the likelihood of juvenile detention and incarceration.
The resulting feelings of worthlessness compound the other psychological and emotional scars
left from years of abuse and neglect. Additionally, the disruptive and dangerous existence
these youth face induces and aggravates debilitating mental illness such as major depression,
post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, and conduct disorder.
In addition to the material advantages they lack, our youth have insufficient or no family
structure. They profoundly lack both emotional support for the stresses of
adolescence, and no generational transfer of knowledge of healthy life strategies.
These crippling effects severely compromise the health and well being of homeless youth and
jeopardize their efforts to reconnect with society and succeed at education and employment.
Without appropriate and compassionate intervention, the youth we serve are heading into an
irreversible cycle of chronic homelessness, total dependence on welfare, and permanent
aversion to society.
Due to various feelings of pride, shame, guilt and fear, homeless youth often do not accurately
disclose abuse and trauma - both in the home and on the streets - until rapport is built with
a service provider. However, the following is a summary of the most recent statistical reports
on the condition of homeless youth from those who were brave enough to share.
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