"Ruby remembered Tom echoing what Vanessa had preached to her. He told her to stay away from the more populated, metropolitan cities as well as the very small, minimally populated towns. Another homeless youth, Ruby had met Tom in one of the towns she had stopped. He was experienced on the streets, and his advice was intended to save her from some of the less desirable situations brought by being on the street. The first, the cities, were usually plagued with higher crime rates, high homeless rates, drug use, human trafficking and few places to take refuge and blend in. While one might think it fairly easy to blend into an area with lots of people floating around day and night, territories were established both by gangs and the homeless. The average resident might not readily notice a newcomer in town, but these other groups knew immediately when someone unfamiliar was roaming among them, almost like they smelled them. The cities were dangerous places with ruthless people, having already offered Ruby experiences she didn’t care for. Experiences she didn’t want to remember."
--Painted Windows, Gera Jones-Kentucky Writer
While Ruby and Tom are both fictional characters in Painted Windows, they represent a very real homeless youth, a very real issue in Kentucky and nationally that most people just don't want to know about. It is uncomfortable to know that there are unaccompanied youth living on the streets, not just in large urban areas, but in the rural eastern Kentucky towns as well.
Nationally, there are approximately 4.2 million homeless youth, of which 700,000 are unaccompanied minors age 13 to 17. Kentucky reported to the U.S. Department of Education that 24,177 students were homeless during the 2018-2019 school year, with 2,644 of them unsheltered. Additionally, Kentucky reports that on any given day there are 221 unaccompanied homeless youth wandering the hollows (referred to as "hollers") and streets.
So you might ask, "What are unaccompanied homeless youth?" Well, first unaccompanied means they are without any parent or guardian. Just themselves. Alone. And, they have become homeless for a variety of reasons, including:
being kicked out of their homes
running away
sexual orientation
financial hardship
being abandoned or neglected
abuse
substance abuse
death of a parent or guardian
Unaccompanied homeless youth are much more at risk opposed to the general homeless: youth do not have the life skills to live on their own and obtain jobs. They are especially at risk for falling victim to sex-trafficking, substance abuse, mental health issues, and the list goes on. This is sobering information, and because of that many people do not want to think about it. Don't think about it = problem doesn't exist. Unfortunately it does!
As I was writing Painted Windows, I was completely unaware of the existence of Safe Places, and that Morehead, Kentucky is blessed to have one of those Safe Places. Mountain Haven Emergency Shelter! Mountain Haven is only one of three other Safe Places in Kentucky. The others are located in Covington, Lexington and Louisville, with a fifth coming to Bowling Green. Mountain Haven is the only shelter serving runaway and homeless youth ages 12 to 17 in all of eastern Kentucky!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring Mountain Haven! It was amazing! Mountain Haven is a twelve-bed residential facility, complete with a kitchen, dinning area, gaming area, and entertainment area. In addition, residents learn life skills, like doing their own laundry and preparing meals. Additionally, Mountain Haven's focuses on keeping youth in school and on reunification with family. In addition to counseling services, residents are taught self-esteem and independence. The youth learn they are WORTHY!
As Skylar led me from bedroom to bedroom to bedroom, each equipped with two sets of bunkbeds, in one of the rooms she pointed out a series of post-it notes affixed to the wall. Previous residents left inspirational messages for future residents. One of the post-its especially caught my eye, and it says it all:
In speaking with Teresa and Skylar, two of the employees at Mountain Haven, I learned that the facility averages about four to five residents at a time who stay at the facility for up to 21 days. Of course, COVID-19 has left its mark on Mountain Haven. Between quarantining and staffing issues, the facility has served only 21 homeless or runaway youth to-date in 2021. (But that is really 21 too many.) Also, acceptance at Mountain Haven is selective--they do not accept youth who are violent or who have criminal records. And, they have received referrals from far away as Louisville!
So, as the holidays approach--and given the many shortages we are all facing when it comes to shopping and gift buying--if you cannot find that perfect gift for someone, why not make a donation in their name to Mountain Haven?
Donate at: https://www.mtcomp.org/donate
The Mountain Haven Emergency Shelter is a division of the non-profit
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center.
References:
Interview on with Teresa Forman (11/4/2021) and Skylar Moore (11/3/20210 of Mountain Haven Emergency Shelter, mthaven@mtcomp.org.
https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics.ky retrieved on 10/29/2021
https://schoolhouseconnection.org/learn/unaccompanied-youth/ retrieved on 10/29/2021
https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx retrieved on 10/29/2021
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