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The Unwanted. Helping Utah’s Homeless Youth. The Fact is…. It’s been estimated that there are between 7,000 and 21,000 homeless youth (ages 16-25) in Utah. Nationwide, 1 in 8 teens will leave home before the age of 18. 40% will never return home.
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The Unwanted Helping Utah’s Homeless Youth
The Fact is… • It’s been estimated that there are between 7,000 and 21,000 homeless youth (ages 16-25) in Utah. • Nationwide, 1 in 8 teens will leave home before the age of 18. 40% will never return home. • Every year in the United States, 5,000 street-bound youth die of physical assault, illness, or suicide.
Life on the Streets • Easy targets for rape and physical assault • Often resort to “survival sex” • STI’s are rampant and usually go untreated • Teens who live in shelters are homeless for an average of 4 months. • Teens who do not get help from shelters stay homeless for an average of 4 years
Reasons for Teen Homelessness • 40% are GLBT • Kicked out for delinquency • Ran away because of abuse • Aging out of foster care http://uthomelessyouth.wordpress.com/
Just Imagine… • What if it was your son? • What if it was your daughter? • What if it was your niece? • What if it was your nephew?
The illness is spreading like wildfire • We must take off our rose-colored glasses, look this beast in the eye and refuse to back down. • Only then can we stand up and defend not only the current victims of learned criminal behavior, but all the future teens that stand at risk to fall into its trap.
Every Day a homeless teen will make a choice… • To find help • To get an education • To fight for a better life OR • To have unprotected sex for money • To look for “Family” in gangs and drug communities
We have an opportunity • 2,973 people died in the tragedy on September 11,2001. How many family members would have saved them given the chance? • We have a temporary chance to give 21,000 homeless youth an opportunity those victims never had. A second chance.
Try Family Counseling. If unsuccessful, other options would be to stay with relatives or foster care. Solutions:
Train youth to go out on the street with outreach workers to convince them to enter the system
Working towards Independent Housing To this: From this
Seeking Benefits Medicaid Social Security Income
For those with a mental health issues, Alliance House offers educational and vocational support
Homeless Youth Supply Drive You can drop off the following items: deodorant, bus tokens, canned food, gently used clothing, fast food gift cards, new socks, batteries, tents, tarps, sleeping bags. Items will be taken to The Homeless Youth Drop In Center @ 655 S. State Drop off boxes will be located at various places at South City SLCC this summer