Haircuts For Hope

Every day across America 13 homeless kids die. Yeah. A day. Every day. 13 dead children. Children are fast becoming the largest homeless population in the country. And while many of them are with their families, thousands more are alone. In Orange County, California homeless advocates estimate 22,000 children are homeless. Orange County is the richest county in the United States - more wealth, opportunity and money there than anywhere - yet 22,000 children are eating out of trash cans, sleeping on the street and selling their bodies to stay alive? It doesn't have to be that way.

Eric's problems began when he was about 12-years old. With his father in jail, he grew up in a single parent home with a brother and two sisters. But his older sister Anna was really the one who raised him. Anna left home when she was 14, telling Eric she "couldn't take it any more." When Eric turned 14 his mother kicked him out, telling him he reminded her too much of his father.

He began sleeping on friends couches, and on the street. Eric's one small comfort was that his friends were in similar circumstances, with several of them also becoming homeless at the same time he was.

As his friends became homeless they banded together and found empty houses, abandoned buildings, and parks to sleep in. For money, they panhandled; for food they ate out of the trash. Eric said although it was not an ideal situation, it was still better than his home situation. Four months ago, StandUp for Kids got him in to transitional living. He is now about to get a job and things are looking up for him.

Storm is one of the 22,000 homeless teens in Orange County, California. A gifted and talented runner, he wants to pursue track and field, or a career in law enforcement, or maybe be a chef. Storm has been homeless since March 10, 2010. He accepts responsibility for his situation. He says:

"I wasn't following rules, and was lying to my parents so they kicked me out. They were my adoptive parents but they just kicked me out and didn't give me advice on where to go or how to survive, or find shelter or food. I went to a friend's house for a month, and then I lived with a girlfriend and her family until July. I couldn't live with them anymore because we broke up and I wasn't getting along with her mom or my girlfriend's sister, but I didn't know where to go. StandUp for Kids got me an emergency stay in a motel for a week, but after that I didn't know where I was going to go or what I was going to do."

The pain of losing his girlfriend and yet another home was almost too much for him.

"I was so upset about the breakup with my girlfriend and feeling down on myself that I ended up in the hospital for 3 days on a 5150 hold. When they let me out, I had enough money for two nights in the motel, but then I was on the streets. I slept in parks, and only had a coat but no blanket. I just met a girl on Facebook who really cares about me, and her family is letting me stay with them for a while. I don't have to pay rent; I help with chores around the house."

Storm said he'd like other kids to know that:

"Kids and teens should not lie to their parents, because they could end up in my situation. Being cold and hungry and not having anywhere to be at the end of the day is the worst part of being homeless. I would like to see more people help homeless teens, but I don't know where they would even start. There should definitely be more housing."

If you had three wishes, what would they be?

I wish I had a house, a car, and a wife and kids.

SWANS IN THE SEWER

Read a story - thought I'd share
Kids in sewer - living there
can't believe it (BUT ITS TRUE) - smoking crack and snorting glue
(If we lived there - we may too)
how they sleep there - not a clue
Street beggars - live day to day - no birthday parties
(no childrens play)
Abused
Abandoned
Runaways
No one seems to love or care - everyone is bored
just remember
GOD IS WATCHING
what
happens
in
our
world

Poem by JDS http://www.doestheinternetloveme.com/2010/08/swans-in-sewer-read-story-thought-id.html

An estimated 3 million Americans a year become homeless every year. Many are homeless for only a few days, a week or a month. Once homeless - even for a short amount of time, few go back to the streets. An estimated 40-60% of the homeless work, or are partially employed while they are homeless. The majority of the homeless in this country are invisible - preferring to stay with friends and relatives, or to camp, hide or seek shelter in their vehicles.

The majority of visible homeless people - the panhandlers, addicts and mentally ill who wander the streets of America have come to represent - falsely - what it means to be homeless. The majority of the homeless struggle to maintain a normal life - bathing, working or looking for work, trying to find housing, to eat and to live as they did before losing their apartment or home.

With the economy becoming increasingly worse, more and more families are ending up on the streets and more and more children are being exposed to life without security. For the children of single parents - particularly those who have a parent in jail, or both parents in jail, or a single parent overwhelmed with caring for several children - the streets often looks like an answer. It's not. While it may be preferable to domestic abuse or the drinking, drug or sexual abuse that goes on at home, it is still not the kind of life anyone deserves or should have to endure.

Haircuts for Hope is working to help teens through education, self-esteem, and getting the word out about organizations like Stand Up 4 Kids that are in many communities helping to feed and help homeless teens.

In 2006 I quit my job as the newspaper editor for a small Colorado weekly and decided to freelance, travel and grieve my father's recent death. What had started as an adventure became a nightmare and I ended up living in my van and according to those around me, was "homeless." Three years later I was speaking in Oxford, England - at TED Global about the experience. My message? "Hope Always Finds A Way." I never started out to become an advocate for the homeless, but found myself passionate about the injustice with which the homeless are treated every day.

I started Haircuts For Hope after reading about the fact that 13 homeless children in this country die every day on the streets - from hunger, violence and suicide, drugs or accidents. A haircut doesn't seem like much, but when you're homeless, cold, scared and feeling more unlovable than any human being could imagine, something as simple as getting a haircut can brighten your day and your outlook and your self-esteem. So I blogged about it on Change.org where I blog for change. Jennifer, a volunteer at Stand Up 4 Kids responded to my request to help kids get haircuts, and day-by-day we worked on getting a sponsor (REGIS of Supercuts), photographers, videographers and people willing to help these kids tell their stories. It's still coming together. It's not an organization. It's just me and people who care. I ask that you donate if you want to, directly to Stand Up 4 Kids. They're the ones really doing the heavy lifting. A portion of anything sold from this lens also goes to Stand Up 4 Kids or to the cost of hosting the websites I have for Hair Cuts For Hope.

You can help. It doesn't take much. $5 or $10 will buy food, socks, coats and shoes, toiletries and bus passes so these children can survive on the streets until a home, shelter or other care can be found for them. Most are struggling to stay in school, to get their GEDs and to survive without falling prey to prostitution, drugs or suicide. Thanks for visiting.