These stories are part of what makes the cuts to teen and young adult assisted housing in Minneapolis and St. Paul so tragic.
Before moving to the twin cities area, I worked with glbtiq youth in a city in Michigan and had numerous young people, including one straight A honor student from a good home with presumably liberal parents with gay friends who were kicked out when they came out to their parents. One of the problems with individuals taking in kids without working together with organizations is that there may be additional resources available to the young people in addition to your individual support that will help both you and the young person manage the situation more successfully. As was noted, some of these kids have problems which you need not handle all on your own and working together with an organization is one way for you to get support in your efforts to help the young person. Here in Mpls there are numerous programs to help all homeless kids and some specifically to help glbtiq youth and young adults who find themselves homeless. I find these programs at Youth Link to be particularly deserving of support. Programs like Project Offstreets http://www.youthlinkmn.org/offstreets/ Youth Housing Program http://www.youthlinkmn.org/housing/ & GLBT Host Home Program http://www.youthlinkmn.org/housing/hosthome.html And of course preventing kids from being homeless or leaving home to begin with through progams such as New Paths deserve support as well. http://www.youthlinkmn.org/newpath Other organizations include The Bridge http://www.bridgeforyouth.org/ Central Community Housing Trust's Archdale Apartments and St. Barnabas Apartments offer much needed housing for youth with some support services http://www.ccht.org/ And many many more.... David Strand Loring Park --- Pamela Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Laura and lloyd <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Aside from gang families, there are situations and > have been for some > time in Minneapolis where families have expelled > children from their > homes. My daughter is 38 now, but when she was in > high school our > family hosted three different teens who had been > kicked out by their > families. All were under 17 at the time. None had > support or could earn > income while going to school. We had two of them for > over nine months > each and the other for a shorter period > (sequentially, not all at the > same time). Our daughter brought them home and asked > for our help. > > These were not gang kids but they had issues. All > three are now > educated and working adults. They were given the > chance their families > would not give them. > > Pamela Taylor: > > I have been where Laura was. When my daughter was > in high school (she is now 27) she had a friend > whose mother had kicked him out of the house. Why? > Because he would not give her money to support her > drug habit. This young man was working, doing well > in school, babysitting for young teen mothers so > they could go to programs to better themselves, and > was a member of the first "group" to win a > Minneapolis Award. He had nowhere to go, his older > brother was already serving time in prison, his > grandmother would not take him in because he was > "too dark", on so on. > > Even though I was divorced and a single parent by > then, there was no way I could not take him in. He > moved in his senior year and graduated high school, > and went on to college. During the course of that > same year, his mother decided to move out of state > and did not bother to tell me. I found out by > accident. But the good news is that she has now > been clean for a few years, and has a good > relationship with her son. > > There were a few other kids who came and stayed when > they needed to, and I simply helped where I could, > and kept the communication with their parents open > until they could return home. I believe there are > many people who have quietly done the same. I think > of Barb Lickness and her son Blake. She stepped > into his life, seemingly (to me anyway) without > hesitation, when his parent was unable to do the > right, and it was a blessing to them both. > > Laura says: > > It seems to me there are many, many children like > this. The gang label > is too easy to put on and too hard to take off. > Between those with justice involvement and those > just out there kicking around, there is a wide > spectrum of need among young people who are seeking > a way to transition to productive adulthood. > > I'm not much in favor of blaming the parents. With > our three, we > discussed only what the kids wanted to talk about, > we never heard from > their home families, and we never tried to call them > and tell them off. > Our focus was the kids, not the tension in the > family. > > This is not to everyone's taste, I realize. It gets > up close and > personal with the issue, but in my opinion, more of > that is needed with > less focus on blaming from ten miles high. That, I > think, would do us > all a lot of good. > > Pamela Taylor says: AMEN! > > Lyndale > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > REMINDERS: > 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at > http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a > member is in violation, contact the list manager at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > > 2. Don't feed the troll! 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