“Chris (assumed name), why are you on the streets”?
“Well, my Mom kept hitting me and I was getting close to hitting her back, so I felt like I needed to leave.” Come to find out, this has happened pretty frequently, and his Mom has been charged with domestic violence in the past. Chris is one of our younger guests so we’re working particularly hard to encourage, support and assist him.
This is just another example of why there are so many young people on the streets, approx. five hundred 16 -24 year old’s in our area. The overwhelming majority of our young guests have left unsafe and abusive environments, and to some degree they find community with other young people who have similar life experience. And then comes the temptation and use of drugs, sexual activity, criminal activity and before long, they are on the streets to stay.
So, is homelessness a choice? Well, I’d venture to say that most people on the streets can point to a childhood which set them down this path, that their “choice” was to leave an unsafe environment. And yes, they may get to a point where it’s too hard to breakout of addiction and the lifestyle, so they “choose” to remain on the streets.
Our job at Hosea is to serve, love, assist and do all we can to keep our young guests from losing hope, giving up and “choosing” a life of chronic homelessness. We want them to enjoy lives of health and purpose!
By clicking on the link below, you can join in this effort!