Community values its youth

I am grateful that I live in a community that values youth and young adults, especially those experiencing homelessness and houselessness.

The Young Adult Shelter at CYS has provided over 300 young people ages 18-24 with a warm, dry, and safe place to sleep for a total 5,861 bed nights over the past two years. It is a humbling life that I lead, working in this field and knowing and caring for young people who are often stigmatized and ignored by their communities. It is both exhausting and energizing to do work that is often not understood, working alongside some of the most resilient, talented, and caring young people in our town.

Portions of this community, a community that has been called beloved by some, have distinguished themselves as a group of people who strive to honor the humanity of our young people who are experiencing homelessness by affording them the dignity of having a place to sleep. It is a rare community that can take pride in offering gender-inclusive youth specific shelter to young adults who struggle to battle poverty, transphobia, homophobia, hopelessness, addiction and trauma to get off of the streets and move towards independence and stability.

For this work and this community’s generosity, I am deeply grateful.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Community values its youth."