Street Help for the Homeless...for the Children...

Source: Dreamstime.com

Never before has the need for individuals to tap into their own resources to help others been heard more than in recent years. With people losing their homes, schools closing and the loss of jobs, more and more people are becoming homeless. 

  

The faces that often get lost in the shuffle are children. It is amazing to me that, in 2009, approximately one in every fifty children in the United States was homeless (Gray, Time Magazine, 2009). Although many of them live in shelters with their parents, the fact is, they are still counted as being homeless by the standard definition.

Source: Rrramone

In recounting the story of a seventh grader who wore the same clothes to school each day, Guidance Counselor, R. Mitchell related that the child was living with a parent in a shelter, yet continued to excel.  “It is possible for homeless children who are lucky enough to have a support system, to achieve their life goals,” she said.

 Nationally, the agencies and shelters indicate that to those who are homeless, the key elements missing in their lives are stability, self-esteem and safety.


In the years, 1999 through 2009, there were, nationally, forty-six attacks on homeless people, eighteen of which resulted in death. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).  Some attacks were by other homeless people suffering with various forms of mental illness and others were from substance abusers of those engaged in hate crimes.

Source: Nat'l Coalition for the Homeless (2009)

People often forget that a large number of the homeless are families. If they are in a shelter, the family eats, the children get to attend school, the family receives mental health counseling, medical care, job training and even parenting skills, which all work to prepare them for redirecting their lives.  

In Houston, Marilyn Fountain, of the Star of Hope mission feels that everyone can be of help, which may not always be monetary. 

  
If, according to an African proverb, “It takes a whole village to raise a child,” then, according to teacher, G. Mebane, “Every child is part of a village and each person has a responsibility to help a child in some way.”

 

The challenge for the shelters in Texas is getting adults with, or without, children, to accept help.

The fact that homeless children are able to attend school, when living in a shelter, increases their opportunity for success.  “Education opens a world for homeless children to escape from some of the ills of society” says Houston area psychology teacher, D. Williams. 

The bottom line is that the shelters are a better alternative to the streets than not, for families and single adults, alike.  Every person should do their part to assist those who are less fortunate because, at some point, any one of us could be in their place.