We all have to face challenges in this thing called life. Pause a minute, and think of all the things you have to over come on a daily basis. Write them down. Is one of them a safe place to call home or rest your head each night?

For many of our neighbors in communities across America, homelessness is a big issue, and that includes our youth.

According to the www.ncsl.org, an estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness each year, of which 700,000 are unaccompanied minors, meaning they are not part of a family or accompanied by a parent or guardian. On any given night, approximately 41,000 unaccompanied youth ages 13-25 experience homelessness.

• The Voices of Youth Count from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago also found that:
• One in 10 young adults ages 18-25, and at least one in 30 adolescents ages 13-17, experience some form of homelessness unaccompanied by a parent or guardian over the course of a year.
• 29% of homeless youth report having substance misuse problems.
• 69% of homeless youth report mental health problems.
• 33% had once been part of the foster care system.
• 50% of homeless youth have been in the juvenile justice system, in jail or detention.
• 27% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth who are homeless reported exchanging sex for basic needs compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ youth who reported having to exchange sex for basic needs.
• 62% of LGBTQ youth report being physically harmed while experiencing homelessness while 47% of non-LGBTQ youth reported being physically harmed while homeless.
• The lack of a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) is the number one correlate for elevated risk of youth homelessness.

If you need help, there is help out there for all of us. But many times, we live life and don’t Ask, Listen and Love on our neighbors to guide them to help. I want to encourage all of us to do better. Be aware of friends, family and community members. They may need help with a safe place to call home. Contact our company, and we can guide you and them to help! Need Help … Get Help Now!