Bridge the Gap for Homeless Youth

Dear Friend,

Homelessness isn’t something that most people think about every day. But did you know that on any given night, there are more than 1.3 million homeless youth living on the streets?* Homeless youth are incredibly vulnerable—they experience high rates of sexual assault, substance abuse, mental health challenges, and physical assault. LAYC homeless youth programs seek to find these vulnerable youth, shelter them, and give them the wraparound support they need. Please enjoy this letter from April, a formerly homeless youth:

“My name is April and I am a client of LAYC’s outreach programs. I am beyond grateful for the services I received here – from showers to hot meals, clean underclothes to a safe place to rest. My case worker, Diana, and her boss, John, have gone above and beyond their job descriptions to help me.

When I first came to this program, I was coming from a domestic violence program. Instantly, my partner, step-daughter, and I were welcomed with open arms. Over this past year, the program has helped me with my alcohol problem by giving me lots of resources and one-on-one mental health help taking me to doctors’ appointments. They also helped me with some legal problems—something I wasn’t aware they could help with. Diana stood by my side at court dates, parole meetings, and even gave me character letters.

After working with LAYC, I have two jobs, I have a better control of my drinking, and I was accepted into the rapid re-housing program after struggling with homelessness. This program brought the best out of me.  This program saved my life and gave me the hope and faith in myself that I lost a long time ago. To show my gratitude to the program, I wanted to share my story of success. I love this program and would tell any youth out there who is lost that here, at LAYC, you have a home and a family.”

- April

Every day, we give homeless youth like April a place to call home. Just $25 can provide three hot, nutritious meals to a homeless youth looking to get back on their feet. Thank you for your support.

Gracias,

Lori          

* According to the National Conference of State Legislatures: http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx