Running in the Shadows

I wanted to draw your attention to a recent two-part article that appeared in the New York Times. Running in the Shadows addresses the growing number of young runaways in the United States, exploring how they survive and efforts by the authorities to help them. Part one, Recession Drives Surge in Youth Runaways, follows Betty, a 14-year old who had run away from home a week earlier after a violent argument with her mother. "Over the past two years, government officials and experts have seen an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. Foreclosures, layoffs, rising food and fuel prices and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing have stretched families to the extreme, and those pressures have trickled down to teenagers and preteens." Once on the streets, these young people face harsh circumstances--from sleeping on sidewalks to hiding out in local parks. The second of the two articles, Running in the Shadows: For Runaways, Sex Buys Survival, sheds light on the risky behaviors runaways engage in simply as a means to survive. Studies have found nearly a third of the children who flee home engage in sex for food, drugs or a place to stay.

As more and more families fall into crisis as a result of the weakened economy, it points to the need for programs like the ones offered by Sunny Hills which help resource families and communities. Our work is to reach out to young people and their families before they reach breaking point. The streets are no place for young people.