Understanding Youth Homelessness
Written from an interview with Sandy Dietrich-Bell, CEO at oneROOF Youth Services
Published on December 16, 2021. 3 Minute Read.
These are young people trying to make their way in life without family support.
They’re human beings that happen to have a circumstance. Most people look at their life circumstances first. And they lose sight of the fact that these are young people with situations you wouldn’t wish on anyone.
We need to look at preventative measures.
If we don’t help the youth today, they’re going to be the ones that are experiencing homelessness tomorrow. It’s important for us to do things now and provide an option for these folks to change the trajectory of their lives.
I want to share my own example. I have been on my own since I was 11 years old. But some things came into my world that were able to change the trajectory of my life.
Now I have seven children and six grandchildren, and their trajectories have all changed. My grandchildren, hopefully, will never understand what it means to live the childhood that I’ve lived.
We can’t ever sell short the ripple effect.
A Proud Moment.
A proud moment that really stands out to me is of a young girl that was coming to our services when I first started as CEO at oneROOF. She was one of the young ladies that I met and she was with us for many years.
She had addiction issues, and experienced violence and sexual trauma. We worked really hard to get her to a place where she recognized her worth and that she had it within her to change her own life. After many years, she went to rehab.
I’ll never forget one Christmas, after having not seen her for 7 months, she came back to visit and she presented me with a gift. It was a printout from her rehab program that showed her sobriety for an entire year.
It touched me so profoundly and I have it hanging in my office as a reminder of what commitment and hard work can do.
Resilient. Strong. And Brave.
These are three characteristics I would use to describe youth experiencing homelessness.
It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to let the world beat you down and say, why bother. It’s difficult to get up day after day, stand back up, and face it again and again. And continue to get knocked down by a system that’s flawed, adults that are flawed, and peers that are flawed.
It takes real strength, real courage, and real resilience to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep taking steps forward.
What impressed me most about these cards is the hope that I read within all of them.
Hearing their voice.
I think this holiday card project sends a message of hope. Not just to the people receiving the cards, but to the youth themselves. Someone is going to hear their voice, receive their card, and read their words.
There’s a lot of negativity, myths, and stereotypes that surround this population. So for them to share how they feel, and share what’s going on in their world is powerful.
Projects like this inspire the youth to think about their situation.
They’re sharing a message that makes you pause and think. It makes you realize that there’s more to the season than the number of gifts underneath your tree.
What’s the holiday season like?
For many of them, it’s very depressing. It’s a very sad time. It’s when they miss family most. It’s when they recognize that the feeling of loneliness is very pronounced.
For some, it's anxiety invoking because they get invited to go home and they fear the judgement. Or maybe they fear going home and the ‘same old’ happening. Or they fear they may be going into a situation that leads to an argument again, and they realize that they don’t belong there.
There are also some families that do welcome them home for a short amount of time and for them, it’s an escape from their reality.
But for most, it’s a sad time.
So we try at oneROOF to be as festive as we can. We do our best to encourage them, but it’s still a tough time.
Doing self-assessment.
One way everyone in our community can help is by doing some self-assessment and checking your own bias. Check the stereotypes that you perpetuate. Do some of your own research and really recognize that so many of the myths are false and start seeing these people as human beings.
If you start seeing them as a person, instead of their situation, it takes on a whole new meaning when you interact with them. I challenge everyone to send some positivity out into the world.
Supporting oneROOF.
Financially is the best way to support an organization like oneROOF. We’re a grassroots organization, we rely so heavily on community donations, and it’s fabulous when people give us undesignated money that we can spend on where we need it most.
You can also look at our wish list. We try to update it as regularly as possible, and those are the things that are most vital to us.
You can also donate your time by coming and volunteering. It sends such a positive message when adults give up themselves and get involved and donate their time. Volunteering with us sends a really strong positive message to the youth.
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2021 Holiday Project
A set of five genuine holiday cards designed by youth experiencing homelessness.
When we think of the holiday season, we think of warm beverages, exchanging gifts, and spending time with those we love. But, the reality is that this time of year isn’t as picture perfect for everyone.
We chatted with youth at oneROOF Youth Services to share an important perspective this holiday season.