Inside the lives of homeless teens?moving stories of pain and hope from Covenant House
Almost Home tells the stories of six remarkable young people from across the United States and Canada as they confront life alone on the streets. Each eventually finds his or her way to Covenant House, the largest charity serving homeless and runaway youth in North America. From the son of a crack addict who fights his own descent into drug addiction to a teen mother reaching for a new life, their stories veer between devastating and inspiring as they each struggle to find a place called home.
- Includes a foreword by Newark Mayor Cory Booker
- Shares the personal stories of six homeless youths grappling with issues such as drug addiction, family violence, prostitution, rejection based on sexual orientation, teen parenthood, and aging out of foster care into a future with limited skills and no support system
- Gives voice to the estimated 1.6 million young people in the United States and Canada who run away or are kicked out of their homes each year
- Includes striking photographs, stories of firsthand experiences mentoring and working with homeless and troubled youth, and practical suggestions on how to get involved
- Discusses the root causes of homelessness among young people, and policy recommendations to address them
- Provides action steps readers can take to fight youth homelessness and assist individual homeless young people
- Written by Kevin Ryan, president of Covenant House, and Pulitzer Prize nominee and former New York Times writer Tina Kelley
Inviting us to get to know homeless teens as more than an accumulation of statistics and societal issues, this book gives a human face to a huge but largely invisible problem and offers practical insights into how to prevent homelessness and help homeless youth move to a hopeful future. For instance, one kid in the book goes on to become a college football player and counselor to at-risk adolescents and another becomes a state kickboxing champion. All the stories inspire us with victories of the human spirit, large and small. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will help support kids who benefit from Covenant House’s shelter and outreach services.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Cory Booker xi
Preface: Years to Understand the Light by Kevin Ryan xvii
Preface: Help and the Homing Instinct by Tina Kelley xxiii
Introduction 1
1 A Son Walks Alone: Paulie’s Story 12
Arriving at Covenant House 21
The Costs of Not Caring 39
Homeless, but Graduating 42
2 A Survivor Facing Her Future: Muriel’s Story 46
Arriving at Covenant House 56
Helping Trafficking Victims, Holding Exploiters Accountable 62
Fighting Back on Many Fronts 67
3 Moving Forward after Foster Care: Benjamin’s Story 72
Memories of Mistreatment 77
Working toward Mental Health 83
Arriving at Covenant House 88
Fixing Foster Care 107
4 A Homeless Teen Mother Reaching for a New Life: Creionna’s Story 115
Homelessness in New Orleans 120
Arriving at Covenant House 126
Help for Young Parents 138
5 A Teenager with Nowhere to Go and His Mentor: Keith’s and Jim’s Stories 153
Arriving at Covenant House 167
Keith’s Thoughts on the Meaning of a Mentor 171
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg on Fostering Resilience through Mentoring 176
The Power of a Presence 178
6 Searching for Safety: Meagan’s Story 182
Arriving at Covenant House 191
Meagan on Her Moms and Her Future 197
Helping LGBTQ Youth 199
7 Separate Paths Uniting: Paulie Revisited 201
The Death of Decal 206
8 What You Can Do: Steps to Help Homeless Young People Thrive 210
Mentoring 210
Anti-Traffi cking Efforts 211
Supporting LGBTQ Youth 212
Advocacy Work 213
In the Community 214
What You Can Do from Your Computer 216
On the Home Front 216
Keep Us Posted 217
To Learn More 217
Epilogue 219
Notes 221
Index 224
Photo gallery begins on page 143
About the author
KEVIN RYAN is President of Covenant House International, which reaches 56, 000 at-risk and street youth in more than twenty cities across six countries. Ryan is one of the country’s most respected child advocates and his work has been covered by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper 360, and other national media.
TINA KELLEY was a staff writer for the New York Times for ten years and shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the September 11 attacks. She wrote 121 ‘Portraits of Grief’ profiles of the victims and is the author of two books of poetry, The Gospel of Galore and Precise.
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