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.

It touched me so profoundly and I have it hanging in my office as a reminder of what commitment and hard work can do.

What impressed me most about these cards is the hope that I read within all of them.

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.

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.

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