It’s one of those problems that you don’t want to think about or even acknowledge. Right outside your door, there are people who need a place to sleep and food to eat. You might be able to turn your head at an intersection where there is someone asking for change, but you can’t turn away from the problems you don’t know.

I’m talking about homeless kids. Young people who are fighting for their very survival out on the streets. Their main concerns aren’t Sponge Bob Square Pants or Mom taking away the cell phone. The issues these homeless kids deal with are much more profound than their peers.

Homelessness comes in many forms. You picture the “typical homeless person” as the guy hanging out by the liquor store trying to scrounge up money to buy more booze. These young homeless people can masquerade as normal kids. Some of them go to school, hold jobs and hang out with their friends, yet don’t have a permanent place to sleep. You might call them “couch surfers.” A week at Billy’s, a week at the McKenzie’s, two days with Jacquelyn; but no place to call home. These couch surfers are just as homeless as the guy on the corner.

In January 2007, a 24-hour Point In Time Survey of Homeless Persons conducted by the University of Arkansas Department of Sociology indicated that on any given night 442 school aged children between the grades K-12 are homeless in Washington and Benton County. This is clearly a problem in Northwest Arkansas, but we don’t hear much about it. It’s hard to imagine…but it’s real.

So how do we help? While there aren’t a ton of options out there for couch surfers or homeless kids, there is some help. At Youth Bridge there are two Transitional Living Programs to help homeless kids ages 16-22. In February, Youth Bridge opened their second transitional living program house called “Copper Creek” for homeless and runaway girls aged 16-18. Within two weeks of opening the house, Youth Bridge was housing five young ladies and one young mother with her toddler. The need was immediate, and Youth Bridge was glad to help.

We also have another Transitional Living Program for homeless young men and women aged 18-22. Kids age out of the program at 23 years old. The Fayetteville Junior Civic League Transitional Living Program received a major facelift last year and can house three girls and five young men. Also available for single parents are apartments to live in rent-free. A total of ten apartments are available through the Transitional Living Program. For more information on either program, please call 479-521-1532.

You can also call Arkansas 2-1-1 for assistance.

Article published in Peekaboo magazine