Increase the Value of Homeless Youth
By Justin Reed Early
While millions of Americans will spend a safe warm holiday season enjoying family and friends, the recession has proven to be catastrophic for homeless and disconnected children who rely on non-profit philanthropy for food, housing and education.
Budget gaps must be closed and elected officials and private foundations must shoulder an array of challenges that a recession brings, but decreasing the value of homeless youth by eliminating funding for non-profit shelters and education facilities is not a solution. By eliminating basic life-enhancing services, we turn our backs on the countless children suffering extreme and desperate circumstances.
In Bellingham, Northwest Youth Services has been devastated by funding and program cuts. In 2009 they cut back 75% of their staff and are currently operating at 30% of their previous years budget – which was even then, not enough. Meanwhile, they have seen a 300% increase in homeless youth who require services in the form of short term and transitional housing, outreach and counseling services.
It’s been thirty years since my violent alcoholic father threw me out of our home. I was 10 years old. At 11, I began the cycle of being institutionalized in detention centers for minor survival crimes. The Department of Justice estimates the average entry age of prostitution for girls, boys and transgender youth to be 11 -13. The legal age for employment is 16.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that 1.65 million youth experienced homelessness in the United States in 2007. Those numbers are steadily rising while funding for crucial non-profits that serve ‘youth in crisis’ is dwindling. Some agencies have closed altogether.
A recent National Network for Youth Survey announces that many US homeless youth serving agencies reported a 67 percent loss in state funds, a nearly 30 percent loss in federal funds, a 46 percent loss in private donations and almost 30 percent less funding from private foundations. Disconnected children are being forced to survive alone and are not able to “legally” support themselves. Meanwhile, our solution is to cut funding to the programs that will reduce their criminalization and victimization? I know we can do better than this.
Especially in Washington State.
There are programs that can prevent and eliminate the growing need for youth crisis services. The “Harlem Children’s Zone” (HCZ), for example, provides a range of services in Harlem, NY that serve to break the cycle of generational poverty by way of education, healthcare, parenting workshops, preschool programs and charter schooling. This type of innovative solution is key to reducing and ending child abuse and homelessness in this country. The unified efforts and funding from government, foundations and private donors make all the difference in advancing the lives of homeless populations.
The cost to house a juvenile in detention is anywhere from $64,000 – $200,000 per annum. It costs just $30,000 to house a disconnected homeless child and preemptive solutions like HCZ’s comprehensive educational programs can cost as little as $5,000 per child.
We as a nation must focus on deploying successful and imaginative programs that combat homelessness in our own local communities. Now is the best time to contribute because laudable programs such as Northwest Youth Services, and the kids who rely on them, could sure use our preventive help. http://www.nwys.org
Only when we responsibly address and invest in the future of homeless children in our own communities will we see a measurable and heartwarming return on our investment.
**Justin Reed Early was born in Bellingham, WA and grew up on the streets of Seattle, WA as a homeless youth. He is the author of “StreetChild: An Unpaved Passage” and was featured in the documentary “STREETWISE”, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and can be reached at contact@justinreedearly.com.
Justin Reed Early
http://www.streetchildmemoir.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-Reed-Early/78621990038