Beginning this week, more than 70 media organizations are working together to focus attention on the issue of homelessness. Youth Radio is proud to be a part of this effort, shedding light specifically on the experience of homeless young people.
According to a 2015 count, unaccompanied youth make up about 20% of San Francisco’s homeless population. We’ve gathered their stories here, as reported by our #SFHomelessProject partners, about what it’s like to grow up homeless.
Young Adults Seeking Public Housing? Good Luck
It’s normal for millennials to still live at home these days. But what if you’re a millennial who doesn’t have a home to go back to?
[Listen here]
When I was 17, I was living out on my own, free from my parents’ rules. But it was no walk in the park, because I happened to be sleeping in one. I was homeless.
[Listen here]
Youth Homeless Coverage
Your Call: Ending youth homelessness, Live from Larkin Street Youth Services (KALW)
On the June 28th edition of Your Call, we continue our week-long series about the homeless crisis in San Francisco. Today we’re broadcasting live from Larkin Street Youth Services in the Tenderloin.
Last year’s census counted 1,500 children and youth who live on the streets or in shelters. From fleeing physical or sexual abuse and neglect, to sex trafficking and higher rates of death, homeless youth face substantial risks. What are the solutions to ending youth homelessness? It’s Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you. [Listen here]
At Larkin Street (California Sunday Magazine)
Forty-eight percent of San Francisco’s homeless youth are LGBTQ. Many find their way to the city’s largest youth homeless shelter.
[Read their stories here]
Young and Homeless (California Sunday Magazine)
California Sunday reporters spent time with four different communities and asked them about their experiences. Here’s what they learned.
[Read here]
The Runaways (California Sunday Magazine)
“Dirty Kids and Crusty Kids, as they call themselves, sooner or later end up in the Haight. They are the philosophical descendants of hippies — professing love for pot nugs and tattoos and the Grateful Dead and Rainbow Gatherings out in the wilderness. But they’ve also evolved their own reject culture with its own genus and species.”
[Read here]
Moving Out (California Sunday Magazine)
One in 23 children in the San Francisco public school district is homeless. Should the city help families leave?
[Read here]
Taking Stock (California Sunday Magazine)
The city has been sweeping up homeless encampments and confiscating belongings. We asked youth what they carry with them.
[Read more here]
They’re Here, They’re Queer, But Can They Stay? (Hoodline)
“The Castro District has long been a destination and refuge for LGBTQ people around the country regardless of age, color, and origin; however, with not enough affordable housing units in the neighborhood, it is challenging for homeless LGBTQ youth to stabilize and become successful adults in the Castro.”
[Read here]