By Iden Campbell, Council for the Homeless
November 26, 2024
November marks the three following annual awareness campaigns that have significantly impacted our community: National Homelessness Awareness Month, National Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
- In the U.S., 37.2 million people live below the poverty line.
- 44 million people are at risk of suffering from hunger.
- 1 in 6 children live in poverty.
- And over 4.2 million youth experience homelessness a year in the U.S.
Writing this blog gives me hope, though, that the staggering numbers I listed above won’t be forever and that we can come together as a community to lower the number of adults, children, and the elderly living in poverty and unhoused. I want to focus on youth homelessness and the importance of meeting our children, youth, and young adults head-on to solve this problem so that it won’t lead to lifelong impacts on their emotional health.
As many young people today face these daunting struggles, I, too, was once among the many young people facing homelessness, who, more often than not, felt like nobody cared. As a person who went through all that and now, as a team member at Council for the Homeless, community organizer, and advocate for people who struggle with mental health issues and suicidal ideation and have experienced housing instability, I can tell you that being a caring community is not a small thing and our children will never forget those that cared.
I was 18 when I graduated high school and had just aged out of foster care. I had nowhere to go, so I lived on the 7 train in New York City. I was nodding off one night when the train pulled into Times Square, and a police officer got on. She woke me up and asked me what I was doing there. “Sleeping,” I told her. She noticed my high school ring. She advised me to turn it around so no one would be tempted to steal it while I slept. We talked for a while, and I told her my situation. She asked if I’d ever heard of Covenant House, and I said yeah. She said, “I want you to go there. They can help you.” And she gave me twenty dollars. “Are you gonna go?” she asked. And I said, “Yes, I’m gonna go.” And I did. It was the best decision I could have made.
Covenant House gave me a warm, safe bed and good food. They helped me get a job and, ultimately, they helped me safely reunite with my mother, who lived in North Carolina. Most of all, what I can tell you about Covenant House is that they cared for me and set me up for a lifetime of caring for others. Along with a core group of seven individuals, I co-founded the Washington, D.C., branch of Pathways to Housing, a housing-first model for the most vulnerable subgroup of homeless adults, those with severe mental health conditions, which has been one of the most significant highlights of my career as a community organizer. You could say that throughout my career, I’ve sought to support people who have faced challenges similar to my own. I know the loneliness and isolation of homelessness and mental health distress.
But I’ve traveled this perfect circle since I first spent time at Covenant House. From having experienced a deep need for caring adults and peers in my life, I’ve since devoted myself to becoming one of those caring persons for others. Writing this has made me appreciate that circle of love, solidarity, and service. Join me in being a force for kindness and compassion with people in our community who are struggling and living on the margins.
And for all you do at this time — thank you, for being a part of bringing Everybody IN.
To learn more about National Homelessness Awareness Month, National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, visit:
https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/observances/homelessness-awareness-month