Ladue News - April 2009

Youth In Need
Youth In Need began as a grass roots organization 35 years ago, specifically to address the problem of runaway and homeless teens in St. Charles County. President/CEO Jim Braun explains that before juvenile laws were revised in the 1970s, homeless kids usually ended up in the County jail. “It’s now illegal to do that, but at the time, it was not uncommon for runaways to be locked up,” he says. “Technically, being a runaway is a crime, but it’s only a symptom of an even bigger problem.”

Unfortunately, the problem has gotten worse in tough economic times, Braun reports. “We’re definitely seeing a spike in homelessness related to the economy,” he says. “People lose their jobs and get evicted from their homes or apartments. Then you have a teenager who feels he’s a burden to his family, and he tries to make it on his own.”

There are several ways in which the organization reaches out to homeless teens, including a 24-hour intake and crisis line for young people and their families and an outreach mobile van program. “Our staff goes out afternoons and evenings, six times a week, to areas where homeless young people tend to gravitate,” Braun explains. The professionally trained staff goes into abandoned buildings, train tunnels and viaducts to hand out food and blankets, or just talk to kids. “In a normal year, we’ll help at least 100 kids and assist them to safety.”

Through resources such as transitional living programs and counseling, Youth In Need aims to show young people that their future depends on the choices and decisions they make. “In the end, it’s their responsibility to help themselves,” Braun says. “Young people in these difficult situations have virtually no self-esteem. We help them see that they do indeed have value, that there’s inherent good in them.” One of the ways to instill hope in young people is to get them to reflect where they’ve succeeded, be it by completing their GED, going to trade school or getting their own apartment, he adds. “That’s their motivation to avoid negative behavior and not run back to the streets, and to start accepting responsibility.”

Covenant House Missouri
It’s difficult to track just how many homeless teenagers are out on the streets, according to Covenant House executive director Suzanne Wagener. “The big problem is that homeless youth are mobile, they’re transitional,” she says. “In St. Louis alone, there are between 1,000 to 1,600 homeless kids every year, but those are only the ones we’re aware of. We get these numbers from the school districts, so they don’t take into account the kids who have already dropped out.” Homelessness cuts across demographic lines, she adds. “We see just as many girls as boys. The biggest myth is that it’s a St. Louis City issue, but almost half who come through our doors are from the County...Parkway, Hazelwood, Webster Groves, Kirkwood...there are no boundaries.”

Most of the kids end up on the streets because of a family conflict. “Sometimes the parents are chemically dependent or have a mental health issue and become homeless themselves,” Wagener notes. “Many of our kids believe that whatever’s out on the street is better than what’s at home.” But convincing kids they need help is only half the battle. “The kids don’t trust you right away. It takes time to establish a relationship,” she says. “When they come through the door, their heads are down, they make no eye contact, they don’t talk much. It also takes them a while to get used to the idea of structure and boundaries.”

From providing homeless youngsters with a night’s worth of food, clothing and shelter to teaching them real-life skills such as cooking, staying on a budget and preparing for a job interview, Covenant House has touched thousands of lives in St. Louis since the local chapter was established in 1998. The organization recently consolidated its services and now has a 20-bed crisis program for stays of up to 45 days. “Some will stay one night, they’re not ready for anything longer than that. Others come in, and we’ll be able to work with their families through counseling, and get the kids transitioned to go back home,” Wagener says. There is also a transitional living program where teens can stay for up to two years in Covenant House apartments. “They have to work while they’re in this program. Thirty percent of their income goes into a savings account, which they’ll get when they’re successfully released, hopefully on their way to a two- or four-year college or trade school.”