NEWSHOMELESS YOUTH

Hawaiian teen Erwin Viado Celes had a lot going for him when he killed himself last September at age 19. He had a steady job at a pizza restaurant, college aspirations, a mentor in his kickboxing coach, and caring friends who now are fundraising to cover his burial costs. He'd also survived severe early childhood neglect followed by 14 years in foster care. When he aged out without a stable home in March, he began bouncing between friends' couches.

His death is a reminder of the changes desperately needed for the 30,000 American teens who age out of foster care every year, and Hawaii's state government is now considering reforms.

Forty percent of former foster kids experience homelessness, including couch surfing like Celes, by their mid-20s. Studies have shown that those who age out are also at greater risk of unemployment and criminal conviction, and that a mere six percent obtain college degrees by the time they're 24. Add this to the fact that 5,000 homeless youth die every year from violence, illness or suicide, and you have a dire picture of post-foster care life.

Celes was granted an additional year of foster care, so he aged out at 19 instead of 18 like most foster kids, but his Medicaid coverage ended with his 19th birthday. Without medical coverage, Celes couldn't access mental health services, even after he talked of killing himself following his ex-girlfriend's suicide. And though he wanted to go to college, an uneven transcript and lack of funds kept the dream from becoming reality. (Celes wasn't enrolled in school until he entered foster care, two years behind his peers).

More bad news on the foster care front. Or rather, bad news about a would-be foster care placement. Lutheran Child Family Services, an organization in Illinois that received $20 million from the state last year, declined to place a homeless 15-year-old boy named "Kenny" with an enthusiastic and welcoming couple — just because they're gay.

Fred Steinhauer and Matt Nalett of Chicago began the process of certification, home inspection, therapist meetings and all. They were obviously committed and caring. Then they got handed a piece of paper with a statement saying the agency "will not develop or license adoptive or foster care families who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning."

The story comes from the Gay Rights blog, which documents not only why it's wrong but why it might be just plain illegal for the organization to flout state anti-discrimination laws, especially while it's raking in taxpayer dollars. This has to be the silliest example of foster care discrimination since the Maryland mom who happened to be a Muslim and wasn't granted foster care certification because she didn't serve pork in her home.

Lest the fear be that this needy child would be uncomfortable, it's worth noting that he identifies himself as gay. And he already knows Nalett, who does outreach work with homeless youth. Everyone involved knows that finding people excited about welcoming a gay teenager who has run away is beyond difficult. The good news is that "Kenny" is being transferred to a different child welfare agency that doesn't discriminate, and that Steinhauer and Nalett are again beginning the process to become his guardians.

When it comes to being counted, homeless youth are often the slipperiest of that slippery group of people known as "the homeless."

It's well known that most estimates of the homeless population are on the low end since their methodology is generally flawed. Some people avoid homeless counts and the Census and others are doubled up with friends or living in weekly-rate hotels, where not even the Department of Housing and Urban Development considers them homeless.

When it comes to young people, sometimes they don't want to be found because they're runaways and would rather not be reunited with family members they fled. Sometimes the people doing the counting overlook teenagers and college students who have a knack for blending in with a society they're actually locked out of.

But as the National Alliance to End Homelessness reminds us, we can't solve youth homelessness until we get real about how big the problem is. This week the NAEH issued a brief to assist facilitators and volunteers of national Point in Time (PIT) homeless counts, scheduled to take place in January 2011.

"Too often, PIT counts fail to account for unaccompanied youth age 24 or under who are homeless," the Alliance writes. "As a result, the extent of homelessness within communities is inaccurately portrayed and local plans to end homelessness neglect the needs of unaccompanied youth."

Their steps to ensure that no one is left out: 1) make sure PIT counts include strategies for finding and enumerating homeless people age 24 and under by engaging youth and the organizations they rely on in planning, 2) map out locations where they're likely to be found, including malls, rec centers, LGBT hot spots and more, 3) facilitate collection of count data, 4) analyze the data on youth homelessness and 5) use the enhanced PIT findings to educate the public and our elected representatives about the prevalence of youth homelessness (which might make the front page or the evening news faster than a story about homeless adults). For more tips, download the brief.

This new video comes from Mark's InvisiblePeople.tv 30-city, 11,000-mile, 75-day road trip, going on now.

"Caution: some content may be offensive." Ka'e k'e's interview from St. Paul, Minnesota, is exactly why I have that disclaimer on InvisiblePeople.tv, where I post my videos. She flat out tells us what life is like on the streets for a young woman.

The disclaimer ends with the sentence, "Our hope is you'll get mad enough to do something." I am sure Ka'e k'e's experience will offend you in some way. She has to sleep with strangers just to survive. It's the better option than freezing outside. Ka'e k'e is pregnant, and because she has "survival sex," she does not know who the baby's father is. I sure hope that gets you crazy mad.

Before you label Ka'e k'e an awful mother, know that she is just one of many young girls having babies on the streets. It's a vicious cycle for many. They don't know how to avoid it and many don't have the choices we take for granted. Having sex with strangers and taking drugs to forget the pain is the only way to survive.

I wish you could see what I see in person. I see a hurting young woman who is screaming for help. She is living the life that her family's socio-economic background gave to her. Most of these young adults come from families who were also homeless, or very close to it.

Giving a homeless student a roof over his head should be considered a good thing. Instead, Florida high school football coach Bill Buldini could face thousands in fines for letting a player with nowhere to go live with him.

As a means of curbing unfair player recruitment, Florida High School Athletic Association rules prohibit student athletes from living with school employees. Buldini was initially suspended by the Osceola County school district Sept. 24 and returned to both his position as social studies teacher and his coaching job the following Monday. The FHSAA is still conducting an investigation and the player involved, whose name is not being released, is being held out of all practices and games.

Wanting to curb recruitment is understandable, but that is clearly not the issue here. It should be a no-brainer that the rule doesn't apply in this situation, particularly as the student was already on the team. Surely helping a kid avoid a life on the streets or in the foster care system is important than a team's win-loss record.

It has been suggested that Buldini should have allowed the school and foster care system to address the student's precarious living situation. But children who have been through the foster care system are known to have a higher risk of becoming homeless later in life. Some 40 percent of children who have gone through foster care will experience homelessness before age 24. Foster care children also have lower rates of employment and higher rates of incarceration.

Art Linkletter's old television show is a far cry from what homeless kids have to say. There is a place in Seattle where homeless youth can go called Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets (PSKS). Peace is what they'll find here. Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, PSKS has been a safe haven since 1995. It was through them that I learned that many of the city's homeless youth are not from Seattle.

Are you in the mood for donuts? Try watching a video that captures the dialogue between Seattle police officers and homeless youth. Even better, listen to what these young people have to say about being homeless.

PSKS considers its program to be the last stop for those who come in since many of the youth here have addiction problems. One of the goals of PSKS is to get homeless young people off the streets by empowering them with tools to prepare them for a better future life. One of those tools is H.Y.P.E. (Homeless Youth for Peace and Empowerment). This day program offers workshops, outreach, community meetings and slumber parties to count squatters. The center offers light lunches and healthy snacks along with badly needed services such as a telephone, internet services and an address.

Every year, PSKS holds a memorial to remember its "lost angels." As a candle is passed to each person, he or she has an opportunity to speak a few words about who has been lost. These youth need to hear this. They need to know that they are wanted and there are people out in the world who genuinely care about them and would hold a vigil for them, but dread the thought.

School's about to start in some areas and already has in others, and student homelessness is still nowhere close to declining. Some schools serve only homeless students, but they come under harsh, and often unfounded, criticism. Here are some of the myths about homeless schools:

1. It's segregation. This argument almost shut down Positive Tomorrows in Oklahoma City, but it misses a vital point. Homeless students can't be forced to attend homeless schools, just given the option. It's up to parents and guardians to decide if a homeless child stays in her school of origin (which she's legally entitled to do) or changes to a homeless school. Schools for homeless students are generally nonprofit tuition-free private schools or public charter schools and can require admissions applications. Essentially, like a school for budding musicians or a school specializing in helping autistic students succeed, schools for homeless students address a specific need.

2. They're not as good as mainstream schools. This one is true only in the sense that they tend to be better. Schools for homeless students like Positive Tomorrows and First Place in Seattle are better equipped to help students, and generally have more resources, better training for staff and smaller classes than regular public schools.

3. These needs could be met at the school of origin. On behalf of teachers in low-income public schools everywhere, let me say, we wish that were true! Though there are some programs offering assistance, homeless students need more than school supplies and tutoring. They need counselors, social workers, and most of all teachers who are able to address their complex and diverse needs. Unfortunately, educational plans that place standardized test scores above all else don't leave much time for helping homeless students. Plus, funds for homeless students are incredibly lacking. The coming school year is a perfect storm of rising homelessness, shrinking budgets and growing class sizes. Homeless schools usually have their own fundraising projects to balance out these challenges.

This new video comes from Mark's InvisiblePeople.tv 30-city, 11,000-mile, 75-day road trip, going on now.

Marty has been homeless for two years, ever since his mom told him he was trash and kicked him out. He is 19 now.

He completed Job Corps but that wasn't enough to help him get on his feet and stay there. Sometimes he couch hops and sometimes he sleeps under bridges. He's applying for disability now it the hopes that it will allow him to support himself.

We met in Wichita, Kansas, where Marty struggles to survive on a daily basis.

Special thanks to Wichita Children’s Home

This new video comes from Mark's InvisiblePeople.tv 30-city, 11,000-mile, 75-day road trip, going on now.

Jamie has lived homeless off and on since she was 14. She is 19 now, living in a rundown weekly-rate hotel. At least for the four days that a local church paid for.

Please watch her powerful story. Jamie tells it like it is about youth homelessness and life as a runway. Everything from living under a bridge while pregnant during the winter months to living without food and having to call for help. Thank God for Safe Place and Wichita Children's Home.

I love Jamie's candor in her three wishes, but she kind of shocked me at the end. Watch and tell me what you think.

Special thanks to Wichita Children’s Home

This new video comes from Mark's InvisiblePeople.tv 30-city, 11,000-mile, 75-day road trip, going on now.

Before Sandtago lived in a weekly rate rundown hotel he lived under bridges and in abandoned buildings.

I met Sandtago in Wichita, Kansas. He's 22 but has been homeless for most of his young life. Because of an abusive family situation, his first bout with homelessness was living in a car at 5. Can you imagine being homeless with nothing at 5 years old?

Please watch all of this short video. Even with all the challenges Sandtago fights hard for a better life.

Special thanks to Wichita Children's Home