Charity Stops Short of Aiding Street Kids

(revision to previous ranting post; comments & criticisms, please!)

There are approximately 3,000 homeless youth in the Houston area. They sleep on the streets or use what little money they can scrounge to share a motel room for the night. Some of them are prostitutes and find a bed with their clients. When you think of teenagers who are on the streets, here are some of the ideas that might come to mind: irresponsible, drug-addict, societal burden, poor choices, hopeless, unconcerned with the future. You might consider someone like this an eyesore, or even a threat to your civilized community. You might imagine that you would never have anything in common with a street kid; I mean, you can't really talk to people who are so irresponsible, can you? But of course, your perspective does not tell the whole story. That’s not truth. It’s belief, based on your assumptions and stereotypes.

I have not been affiliated with StandUp for Kids for very long, but during the outreach nights that I have attended most of the youth I have met have been straight, drug-free for at least 5 months. Not all of them, but most of them. They want to make something of their lives, to be responsible, to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, the deck truly is stacked against them. These are certainly some of the most disadvantaged members of our communities, whether because of choices they’ve made or circumstances beyond their control. StandUp for Kids is one of the only groups working to even out the deck for these kids.

StandUp for Kids supports these kids by reaching out to them on the streets and giving them the opportunity to stay safe and improve their lives. As outreach counselors, we hand out food an hygiene products. We listen to the kids. We advertise a phone number they can call anytime, when they need help of any kind. We are reliable. We come out onto the streets every Tuesday and Saturday to build relationships with the kids who are out there. An important step forward for StandUp for Kids was to open a drop-in center, which would be a safe and reliable place for the kids to go to relax, access email, write resumes, build relationships with the StandUp for Kids staff and volunteers, and receive mental health services and referrals. With the resources at the center, kids would be better able to present themselves as serious job applicants.

Many of the kids depend on the support that Stand Up for Kids offers, which does not involve proselytizing or pushing the kids to get off the streets in ways they are not ready for. One girl said, "Stand Up for Kids practically raised me; at least they loved me more than my own mom did." I don't know how true this is, but I understood her to mean that the StandUp for Kids staff really cares for the kids, and the kids know it, and they appreciate it, and they need the support. Most of them don't do anything to jeopardize that; their loyalty shows that they recognize their need for any safety and security they can get.

On October 13^th, the center celebrated its grand opening; word spread quickly among the kids. One week later, StandUp for Kids was evicted from their space. What were the reasons given for eviction? Well, according to the landlord the kids were hanging out on all floors, panhandling in front of the building, and scaring other tenants; the landlord accused StandUp for Kids of being responsible for the presence of these kids on the streets surrounding her office building. Some of this is true, some of it is questionable, some is flat-out false.

The eviction announcement was made three days before Hurricane Rita planned to hit Houston. As a kid living on the streets, it is difficult enough to find a safe place to spend the night in good weather; what do you do when a category 5 hurricane threatens those streets? The volunteers and directors at Stand Upfor Kids felt determined to arrange for the safety of their kids throughout the storm. They devised a plan to house kids in the center during the hurricane. With eviction, that plan was shattered. The eviction notice came with strict prohibition of the kids’ presence in or around the office building; any kids spotted in the office building, storm or not, would be arrested. The center was gone, and the kids were left to fend for themselves through the storm. One kid I spoke with before the storm was quite sure that this hurricane would kill her, now that she had no shelter.

The most disheartening aspect of losing the center was the realization that charity does not reach the neediest members of our society when they truly need it. Since the Hurricanes hit and evacuees flocked into Houston, charity has seemed to flow from the hearts of all Houstonians. How sad is it that Louisiana residents affected by the storms receive more aid than those already suffering within Houston itself? How appalling is it that the most disadvantaged members of our society are further trodden upon when they are in need?