Give our kids a much-needed jump-start

When was the last time you needed a jump-start? This past week, I needed a battery jump-start. My battery turned over the engine, but just not enough to start the car. I had jump cables. I laid them on the hood of my car. They were as good as a sign, white flag or service call.

Sure enough, not 10 minutes had gone by when a concerned individual came up to me and said, “Let me pull my vehicle around to give you a jump.” It was reassuring that someone I did not even know was willing to give me a hand when I needed it. Within another 10 minutes, I was back on the road. Now, I intend to “pay it forward.”

A jump-start can come in many different forms. In short, it is a boost, lift or a hand up. A jump-start can come in the form of words of encouragement, mentorship or, in my case, a complete stranger and a willingness to help. In other cases, it could be a group of dedicated volunteers or a committed staff working together to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, without a future and living in the shadows.

A special feature on KTUU news reported this past year that 5,000 homeless youth had come in contact with Covenant House of Anchorage (programs such as outreach, the crisis center and transitional housing). With a follow up phone call to Covenant House, they confirmed that, “there is no doubt, a solid 20 percent or more came from the Mat-Su.”

We have no emergency crisis center in the Mat-Su. And, Covenant House stated that 80 percent of homeless youth under 18 go back home after a three- to five-day cool-down period, with mediation. We do not even have the means to have mediation services for family re-unification here in the Valley. Those numbers alone reveal we can no longer do nothing.

In addition to those numbers, Covenant House reported 40 percent of homeless youth walking into the crisis center already have a mental health referral. Fifty percent of homeless females have been sexually abused. In fact, one in four homeless girls are involved in prostitution and sex trafficking within 48 hours on the streets. There are 40 percent that have left foster care or aged out after turning 18 at Covenant House. And, up to 85 percent are unemployed, with only a small percent having a high school diploma or GED. That data overwhelmingly demonstrates the need to get homeless youth off the streets into programs to jump-start their future and “flip their script!”

I am so grateful for Covenant House of Anchorage. But many homeless youth seeking safe harbor there are from the Valley. They are our kids! Yet, many in our community do not even know the severity of our homeless youth problem. My House (Mat-Su Youth Housing) is a group of volunteers trying to provide that jump-start for our homeless youth. We want to open a Gathering Place. We want to have mediation services, intake and assessment, drug and alcohol counseling and workforce opportunities. Those workforce opportunities would include interest inventories, résumé building and job searches. First, we would emphasize returning to school and acquiring a high school diploma or GED. And, most importantly, we would offer earned income opportunities in a coffee shop, boutique and other hands-on work experiences to add to their resume.

But My House needs a jump-start. More specifically, to offer the above services at a Gathering Place, it will require sustainable committed income to the pay the rent and utilities. My House is hoping to pay the necessary staff through grants and in-kind services. With a Gathering Place, we will be able to offer the opportunities for our kids to begin the re-entry back in the mainstream and confirm the numbers to support grant proposals for an emergency crisis center like Covenant House. We are a community that can care for our own homeless youth.

Please consider as a faith-based community, civic-minded citizens and concerned individuals to provide My House with that jump-start to provide a boost and hand up to our homeless youth. Together we can make a difference by providing them the necessary skills to have a productive future and bring them out of the shadows. You can contact My House at 354-HELP, or email myhousematsu@gmail.com.

Thank you for any support you can give us and in turn to our kids.

Michael P. Carson is vice president of My House.