A hand up, not a hand out

Life’s circumstances can take a downturn or go sideways to force youth to become homeless. They become separated from the adults who were charged with their welfare for many different reasons. There is a full range of reasons these separations happen, and the majority of those reasons are due to a constellation of issues. Many of those homeless teens are needing and ready for a hand up to return to the mainstream of life, and have a life rich with potential.

That first step, if they are ready, is safe and secure housing. In short, housing first. Yet, some are not ready, due to many issues. Trust, I believe, is at the top of that list, for not wanting to make that first step. And there are those who are not ready to give up the freedom to continue making their own decisions, even if those decisions are not in their best interest. Many are sick and tired of being sick and tired from unhealthy decisions. Life on the streets has become a dead-end road and they are ready for something different. With a shelter, like Covenant House, that provides no other agenda than the hope of a different future, with caring and supportive staff, those kids have a chance to make better choices.

However, the full and complete stories of the homeless kids living in our community are muddy at best. Do we know who they are, other than possibly the kid next door who blasted out of his or her home one night and didn’t return? What are the exact numbers of homeless unaccompanied youth in the Valley? The only real numbers we have are through the school district, which are those who self-identified. That number stands at 246 unaccompanied youth. Yet, we believe there are many more out there, but exactly just how many? I have heard and read numbers (up to a 1,000), but are those numbers from data, formal interviews or assessments? This is a known fact — the numbers are increasing for Valley homeless youth at Covenant House. Its numbers have increased from 7 percent last year to 15 percent to 20 percent this year. So, are those new homeless youth, or kids who decided to check in and were already homeless?

Now, this blurred image of our homeless youth is going to become clearer in the coming months. Agnew and Beck, a research and consulting firm in Anchorage, has been charged by the Alaska Mental Health Trust to do an impartial third-party scope of the Valley’s homeless youth. It plans, through interviews of those involved at the ground level — even homeless youths themselves — to construct a full story or themes to produce a summary document particular to the Valley. Through these conversations spelling out specific information, the firm will identify data results, strengths, gaps, opportunities and a service map, or a full matrix menu. This will give us a cleaner, crisper picture of our homeless youth issue.

At the same time, a local agency — Alaska Family Services, which was approached by concerned individuals seeking assistance for homeless youth — has become a partner in this quest to do an assessment of the challenges faced by homeless youth in the Valley. And what an impact they have helping with these youth in the Valley.

With these new partnerships, existing outreach community groups and significant individuals knowing the score, or reality on the ground, the Valley will begin to be able to give that hand up to our unaccompanied youth. This hand up could take many different forms, determined by funds available, from a soup kitchen, host or therapeutic foster homes, residential apartments, to a fully staffed shelter.

One local community fellowship that is providing an example of a hand up is St. David’s Church, Mile 2.2, Wasilla-Fishhook. They are providing a free lunch, showers and laundry on Wednesdays through the summer for homeless kids of any age. A MASCOT ride is available from the Wasilla Carr’s parking lot (MASCOT parking sign in front of state of Akaska/Waldenbooks, along the sidewalk). They will pick up at 11:30 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. Thank you for your “no strings attached” outreach.

Also, Family Promise Mat-Su (357-6160) is providing free bag lunches, with milk, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., for kids under 18, pregnant mothers and special needs adults. The lunches have to be eaten on site. If you are interested in other sites in the Valley providing free bag lunches, visit aksummmerfood.com — another example of caring providers for those less fortunate. Thanks!

As we come together as a community without any agenda other than meeting kids where they are, homeless, and needing a hand up, we can make a difference for a future full of possibilities for them. Hopefully, that hand up will eventually be a safe and secure place with caring, supportive adults to provide the hope they desperately need for meeting their highest potential.

Michael Paul Carson is a youth advocate who lives in Palmer.