"Too young to rent a hotel room..."

Photo Cred: Dave White - News 1130

Unable to access healthcare without a guardian's signature..

Too young to apply for a job...

Anxious, cold, roofless...

Dirty socks and no tub to take a bath...

Sleeping through school because dozing only feels safe in sunlight...

According to an article by New York Times writer Michael Urbina, we shouldn't be surprised to see an increase in amber alerts as our nation cyclones through its current financial turmoil.


Read it: Recession Drives Surge in Youth Runaways - New York Times

The chart below shows the rise of homeless youth in Rhode Island between 1999 and 2007. The figures jumped from 75 to 330 in just under ten years. With our current rocky economy, my guess is that numbers have only skyrocketed since then. The Rhode Island Emergency Shelter system denies entry to youth between the ages of 13-17 if not accompanied by an adult.

Source: Rhode Island Emergency Shelter Information Project, Annual Reports 1999-2007

Where do these young people turn?