 |
Senate urged to home in on aiding homeless teens
Wednesday, February 10, 1999
By LISA STIFFLER
OLYMPIA -- Heroin was Jody's escape from the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her seven brothers, who were continuing the cycle of abuse started by their father.
When she was caught shooting up at the age of 12, her mother kicked her out on the streets in the Tri-Cities, where she had to fend for herself, sleeping in cemeteries and newspaper recycling bins.
But Jody, now 15, is no longer homeless. After bouncing between shelters, homes of friends and a group home, she has completed drug rehab and is working two jobs and taking photography classes as well. She hopes to go to art school one day.
Yesterday, sporting a pierced lip, heavy mascara and a defiant look, Jody told the Senate Committee on Human Services and Corrections that teens like her need Senate Bill 5557. The legislation would provide a minimum of 200 beds in temporary and long-term housing for homeless 16- to 18-year-olds.
For older teens, Jody and others testified, alternatives to street life are few, and on any given night there are hundreds of homeless youth on the streets of King County.
In 1995 the Legislature approved the Becca Bill, which helps parents track down and regain control of runaway kids. Advocates for children now say that bill doesn't help youths like Jody, who have no home to return to.
"When the Legislature passed the Becca Bill, this was the group of kids who was usually vilified and seen as beyond the care of parents, but it's a myth that all of these kids have a home to go back to," said Peter Berlinger, director of the Children's Alliance.
Sen. James Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, sponsor of SB 5557, agreed that, "The state should not be abandoning those kids."
More than 60 percent of street kids are fleeing physical or sexual abuse at home; some have parents who will no longer take them or who are themselves homeless. And one-third are legal dependents of the state, said Jim Theofelis, an advocate for homeless kids who helped draft the bill.
Group homes are available, but budget cuts in recent years have reduced their number. King County has fewer than 70 licensed emergency shelter beds reserved for youths.
SB 5557 would provide an alternative to foster care, which is the usual option for wards of the state, but foster homes don't work for many older teens because it can be difficult for them to bond with a new family.
"When you live on the street and you have to take care of yourself and do certain things to survive, you can't go back to being a kid," said Jody.
Under terms of the bill, short-term housing called HOPE Centers would be established by the state Department of Social and Health Services for teens to enter voluntarily. Center staffers would determine whether the child was a ward of the state and notify parents within eight hours if the child was a runaway.
If the HOPE Center staff determines that a youth cannot be returned home, he or she would be moved to long-term residential housing called "responsible living skills programs."
To stay in long-term housing, teens must work with a counselor to develop an educational program in which they learn life skills such as personal health care, how to find a job, money management and communication skills.
If they don't follow the program, they're kicked out.
The teens aren't locked down or required to stay in the program, but it won't have a swinging-door policy, either.
Theofelis said the program is designed to create places kids will stay.
"We don't want to set up crash pads," he said.
The bill, to which a price tag has not been attached, also would establish an education account for scholarships for teens who complete the responsible living skills program and pursue higher education in any Washington school.
Businesses could make tax-deductible donations to the education fund.
The legislation also would help teens still on the streets. The courts would be allowed to impose exceptional sentences for criminals who prey on vulnerable homeless kids.
"Be assured that if there is no shelter bed available, there will always be some pedophile or predator ready and waiting," Theofelis warned the committee.
Theofelis knows the bill won't solve all the problems of homeless youth. One major component it lacks is drug rehabilitation.
"The HOPE Act strives to tell each of these young people . . . that no matter how angry, scared and isolated they may feel, there is an opportunity for health, healing and self-responsibility," said Theofelis.
And there's no time like the present to help these teens. After all, said Berlinger, "not too long down the line, these kids are going to be having their own kids."
P-I reporter Debera Carlton Harrell contributed to this report.
P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 360-943-3990 or lisastiffler@seattle-pi.com
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
CAPITOL BUREAU
· Dutch elm disease found in Oregon
· Washington agencies start 4-day workweek
· Insane Clown Posse items banned from Oregon school
· Tests confirm rabies in second Oregon bat
· Murder conviction in Tacoma for Midland shooting
· Overpass jumper killed in Olympia
· Missing Lacey woman presumed dead
· Lawsuit targets Rossi's relationship with builders
· City plan for paid parking in Fremont generates backlash
· Area housing market shows signs of stability
· Some mortgage relief for local residents
· Sims supports exiting animal shelter business
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
