tagged w/ homeless youth
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A lot of people consider their pet their everything, but what if your dog or cat really WAS all you had in life? How far would you go to keep it safe?A lot of people consider their pet their everything, but what if your dog or cat... more
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By Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger
The Arizona state Senate moved forward with two controversial measures this week that threaten to marginalize undocumented youth to an unprecedented degree.
An anti-birthright citizenship bill, which initially failed to muster the votes necessary to proceed, was finally approved Tuesday after Senate President Russell Pearce (R) shrewdly reassigned it to a “friendlier” committee. SB 1309 is now headed to the Rules Committee, where it is, again, expected to pass. The bill seeks to deny automatic citizenship to the U.S.-born children of undocumented persons—an effort that, if successful, would effectively create a self-perpetuating underclass of stateless children.
Proponents argue that the bill would discourage unauthorized immigration by taking away a chief incentive, but the measure has more ominous implications. It would render generations of U.S.-born undocumented children vulnerable to a variety of discriminations—their rights to education, employment and a breadth of social services repeatedly contested, if not altogether denied.
Arizona Senate to vote on sweeping omnibus immigration bill
And, as if the prospect of that future isn’t bleak enough, the Arizona state Senate is considering another bill that would, essentially, force similar outcomes on undocumented youth living in Arizona today. Valeria Fernández at New American Media reports that the measure would, among other provisions, “ban undocumented students from accessing higher education; require proof of legal status to attend K-12 schools; and require hospitals to inquire about the immigration status of their patients.”
Like SB 1309, the success of Pearce’s omnibus bill is the product of some artful maneuvering on the part of the senate president. After watching several of his party’s anti-immigration measures flounder in recent weeks, Pearce devised the omnibus bill—hobbling it together over the weekend from the tattered remains of several failed immigration measures. He introduced it Monday, tardily and to the surprise of his fellow senators, according to Colorlines.com’s Julianne Hing. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the bill on Wednesday—though not without considerable debate and dissent—and it is already headed to the floor for a vote.
Notwithstanding the measure’s swift progress, many opponents believe Pearce’s legislative chicanery is a sign of weakness. Hing writes:
Immigrant rights activists say the maneuver is proof of Pearce’s desperation. “It is clear he does not have the votes to do what he wanted the way he wanted,” said Alfredo Gutierrez, a former state senator who heads the immigrant rights group Somos America. “Pearce has clearly staked his reputation on the 14th amendment bills, but now he’s found himself on the defensive. […] It’s proof that we’re being effective,” Gutierrez said.
Both SB 1309, the citizenship bill, and SB 1622, the omnibus measure, tread dangerously close to unconstitutionality. While the former attempts to reinterpret the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause—which has, for 130 years, guaranteed the right to citizenship at birth—the latter threatens to violate its Equal Protection Clause—which, as upheld by the Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe, grants all children the right to a public education. As such, the bills would likely face myriad legal challenges if passed, much the same as SB 1070.
While the bills are shocking in their breadth and pernicious in their potential for marginalizing scores of unauthorized immigrants, even under current law undocumented youth must contend with a number of barriers to education, employment and stability.
Undocumented college graduates mired in immigration limbo
As Liane Membis notes at Campus Progress, countless undocumented students graduate from college straddled with debt, burdened by the constant threat of deportation, and unable to obtain gainful—or even legal employment—due to their immigration status. Membis relates the story of Teresa Serrano, an accomplished, civically minded, 2010 Yale University graduate whose undocumented status now inhibits her from pursuing her chosen career:
“What I felt on graduation day was different—something more severe,” she said. “I had spent the past four years at this elite institution, compartmentalizing a painful truth, and I knew that when I graduated I would be confronted with my harsh reality yet again.” […] She left New Haven and returned to her home in Texas. Now her daily routine consists of nine-to-five job shifts at fast food restaurants and laundromats, the advantages of her Yale degree negated by her undocumented status.
The DREAM Act, a federal bill that would have created a path to legalization for certain undocumented college students, could have changed Serrano’s life. But after its defeat last November, and given the high improbability that any sort of comprehensive immigration reform will progress this year, her career ambitions are necessarily eclipsed by the simple goal of remaining in the United States.
Undocumented LGBT youth bear double burden
Still other undocumented youth fare worse—among them, a growing population of homeless LGBT immigrants. At Feet in 2 Worlds, Von Diaz reports that roughly half of New York City’s homeless youth identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender while 15 percent were born outside of the United States. Moreover, between 10 and 20 percent of residents at two homeless shelters in 2010 were LGBT immigrants. Many of them were turned out onto the streets by intolerant families and must now routinely contend with threats and vulnerabilities owing to their youth, sexual identities, and undocumented status.
Juan Valdez, a 21-year-old gay immigrant from the Dominican Republic, tells his story below:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bejJqEK_wiY[/youtube]
Note that the future imagined by Pearce and his anti-immigrant cohorts is one in which the daily injustices endured by Teresa Serrano and Juan Valdez are not only the norm, but evidence of a job well done.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Diaspora for a complete list of articles on immigration issues, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, and health care issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Pulse. This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.By Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger
The Arizona state Senate moved... more
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"There is definitely a story going untold," says Melissa Boteach, manager of Half in Ten, a national campaign to reduce poverty by 50 percent over the next 10 years. "When you have 1 in 7 Americans living in poverty. 1 in 5 children living in poverty — including 1 in 3 African-American children and Latino children — and it's not on America's radar, something's very wrong."
Indeed it is the shame of our nation that a record 47 million people now live below the poverty line — $22,400 for a family of four — and a stunning 1 in 3 Americans are living at less than twice that threshold. And yet we hear so little about this crisis in the mainstream media and Congress, where it seems off the radar not only for the GOP, but even for some of our progressive allies.
But the grim truth is that many of the same structural problems that are making life a struggle for the middle-class — and resulted in the first "economic recovery" in 2003-2007 where productivity rose, but median income declined and poverty worsened — are also leading to record numbers of poor people. From 1980 to 2005, more than 80 percent of the total increase in American incomes went to the richest 1 percent. Our economy is super-sizing the wealthy, while producing large quantities of low-wage jobs, unemployment and underemployment, and services are eroding. So the work of those who are waging today's war on poverty comes with a very different frame."There is definitely a story going untold," says Melissa Boteach, manager of... more
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Here is Another Article by Windy City Media about our story.
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=29496
-STORY BELOW-
When Lakeview couple Matt Nalett and Fred Steinhauer began the process to adopt a 15-year-old boy earlier this year, they gained excitement with each step along the way, passing background checks, a home inspection and meeting with the boy's therapist, case worker and a welfare agent as part of the rigorous process all potential foster parents undergo.
But the process was halted Sept. 15 when Nalett and Steinhauer were told the faith-based agency overseeing the care of the 15-year-old—"Kenny"—did not license adoptive or foster care families who identify as LGBT. The couple was turned away while Kenny, a ward of the state for the last seven years, would remain under care of the agency—the River Forest-based Lutheran Child and Family Services ( LCFS ) of Illinois.
Nalett and Steinhauer, who have lived together for seven years and were legally married in Canada, said they feel they were "led on" by LCFS. Steinhauer told Windy City Times they "made it very clear" to the agency that they were a gay couple from the start of their process. They had been regularly meeting with Kenny for "a number of months" before they were first told their sexual orientation violated the agency's policy.
"They knew very clearly that we were a same-sex couple. They knew for months before then and it was no secret," Steinhauer said. "We were never made aware of their policy."
Nalett originally met Kenny this year, while volunteering with a Lakeview area group for teenage runaways. Kenny came to the group after a long history of unstable housing. At one point, Kenny—who is also gay—had run away from a group home where he had encountered bullying.
According to Kendall Marlowe, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ( DCFS ) , three faith-based agencies in the state—LCFS, Catholic Charities and the Wheaton-based Evangelical Child and Family Agency—do not license same-sex foster or adoptive parents.
While the agencies have done so under a specific exemption to the Illinois Human Rights Act for faith-based adoption agencies, Lambda Legal staff attorney Christopher Clark argued the agencies' receipt of state funding—a cumulative total of over $40 million in fiscal year 2010—renders their exclusion of same-sex prospective parents discriminatory and illegal under state, county, city and potentially federal law.
"The law prohibits the government from discriminating against LGBT families when providing social services and government-funded social service organizations have to comply with the law," Clark said. "There is a fundamental difference between a private adoption agency and an organization involved in placing children in foster homes, which is a state responsibility."
Lambda Legal met with DCFS and staff from the state attorney general and governor's offices in early November to "begin to resolve the legal issues" surrounding the controversy, Marlowe said. If the parties involved choose to change their legal interpretation of the aforementioned agencies' policies on same-sex adoption, those agencies would "have to grapple with that," he added.
Marlowe declined to discuss details of any specific actions that may be taken, but wanted to make it clear that LGBT families considering becoming foster or adoptive parents remain welcomed by DCFS. Most Illinois adoption agencies are inclusive of same-sex couples.
"We still want gay men and lesbians coming to us to parent. We know from experience and research that sexual orientation has no bearing whatsover on the ability of a parent to provide a safe, loving permanent home to a child," he said.
"DCFS is happy to see further movement in Illinois toward tolerance and inclusion and we will continue to collaborate and work toward that goal," Marlowe added.
Since Nalett and Steinhauer's story was first reported on WFLD Fox 32 on Nov. 8, Kenny was transferred from the care of LCFS to DCFS and will be assigned a new case worker, though he is still living in the same group home. Meanwhile, Nalett and Steinhauer have begun their process to become foster parents anew—a process they expect may take up to six months.
"The person who suffers most is not us, it's really Kenny," Steinhauer said, when asked if he felt frustrated at restarting the process again. "He still remains in the foster care system, being bounced from one agency to DCFS and that doesn't really do anyone any good."
Steinhauer hoped, in addition to he and Nalett being licensed as Kenny's foster parents, their story would help other prospective foster and adoptive parents, opening up "a whole new avenue of resources for children who desperately need loving homes" and raising awareness of the continued discrimination queer families face in the state.
LCFS did not return Windy City Times' request for comment for this story as of press deadline; moreover, the agency's policy on same-sex adoptive and foster parents is no longer visible on its website.Here is Another Article by Windy City Media about our story.... more
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UPDATED WITH VIDEO FROM STORY.
I really do not post my "own" story or issue but i thought you all might want to read what me and my partner are going through. This is also a open forum for debate with constructive comments no bashing. I personally think if anyone has everything done according to state law and guidelines that anyone should be able to adopt or foster a person who has been given a bad deck of cards. You see with me personal discrimination is 1 thing (i could care less) but well when it involves someone who wants to have a loving family or someone to call a family i think that these "Faith" based organizations do no justice with helping wards of the state. Its all about a ID number with them and revenue from the state.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/special_report/matt-nalett-fred-steinhauer-lutheran-child-family-services-gay-dads-adopt-adoption-20101108
By Mark Saxenmeyer, FOX Chicago News
Chicago - Gays and lesbians have been serving as foster parents, and legally adopting children in Illinois, for decades. But now, one Chicago couple says they've been turned away by a faith-based adoption agency, because of their sexual orientation. That agency freely admits they won't let gays adopt.
So, is it a case of blatant discrimination, or religious freedom?
FOX Chicago News recently launched an investigation into the issue that has both government and civil rights leaders scrambling to settle the law.
The story begins in the Lakeview home of Fred Steinhauer and Matt Nalett, who have lived together for seven years and got legally married in Canada.
"We've tried to really make this a comfortable, safe secure place," Steinhauer said. "We're starting to get ready for Christmas. Family really is something you have to define for yourself as life goes along."
But they never really considered having kids together, joking that they had two cats and a ferret instead. However, in the last few months, Nalett has begun working with a teenage runaway group that assists kids in the Boystown area of Lakeview. He met a 15-year-old who, in order to protect his identity, we'll call Kenny.
"He was not just a runaway, he was a missing kid," said Nalett.
Removed from his biological family because of unsuitable living conditions, Kenny has been a ward of the state for seven years, bouncing between foster and group homes. He ran away from a group home because he was being bullied by residents and he decided it was in his best interest to be on the street.
Kenny is also now coming to terms with his sexuality. He, too, is gay.
Kenny was in the care of Lutheran Child Family Services (LCFS), and Steinhauer and Nalett began the process with the agency to become foster parents. They said they passed background checks, went through a home inspection, and met with Kenny's therapist, his caseworker and state child welfare agents.
"I made it very clear, crystal clear at the beginning of the meeting, that Matt and I were a gay couple," Steinhauer said. "And never once was it mentioned that our sexual orientation was an issue."
But then, just as they were about to start child development and guidance classes required for foster parents, the orientation instructor handed them a policy statement.
"She's like, 'Um, you need to read this. I don't want to waste your time. And have a nice day,'" said Nalett.
The LCFS policy statement said the agency "will not develop or license adoptive or foster care families who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning."
"Devastated. It's like my brain just like hit the floor," Nalett said.
"I couldn't believe that anyone would be so blatant in actually handing someone a written policy of discrimination," Steinhauer said.
But was the policy statement an example of illegal discrimination?
When FOX Chicago News called LCFS for an explanation, President and CEO Gene Svebakkan told us his agency must uphold the doctrines, practices and beliefs of the Lutheran church. And the policy of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, he said, does not condone same sex adoption.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) confirmed that the Illinois Human Rights Act actually exempts religious-based adoption agencies from the anti-discrimination rules every other agency must follow.
Lutheran Child and Family Services received $19.9 million in state funding in fiscal year 2010. And, according to DCFS, two other adoption or foster care agencies--Catholic Charities, and Evangelical Child and Family--also cite religious reasons for excluding gays. Those groups received more than $23 million in state funding in fiscal year 2010. Civil rights attorney Camilla Taylor, the senior staff attorney for Lambda Legal, told FOX Chicago News that state contractors are prohibited by law from discrimination, and provided several similar state and federal court rulings that she said set a clear precedent.
"That is contrary to Illinois law but it's also a terrible wrong done to kids," Taylor said.
After our investigation started, DCFS provided FOX Chicago with this statement:
"DCFS and the Illinois child welfare system have a proud history of tolerance and inclusiveness. We have licensed tens of thousands of foster and adoptive parents without regard for sexual orientation, and we know from experience and research that sexual orientation does not affect parents' abilities to provide a safe, loving home for children. DCFS met last week with Lambda Legal, along with the Governor's Office and Attorney General's office, to begin to resolve these very complex legal issues. We all share a commitment to shape Illinois law and policy to respect the rights of all Illinoisans, and we will continue working together toward that goal."
FOX Chicago's latest calls to Lutheran Child Family Services for comment have gone unanswered. However, a new check of their website shows the policy denying gays the right to adopt has now been removed.
Steinhauer and Nalett said that legalities aside, they're more concerned with how their rejection is affecting Kenny.
"Kenny had been holding out hope that this would be a source of having a supportive family for him. And now he's thinking, 'Well, is that really going to happen? Am I simply going to be disappointed again? Because no one really cares'," Steinhauer said.
And they point out that the line of people clamoring to take in, to help, and to support a troubled gay teenage runaway is pretty much nonexistent.
Kenny is now set to be transferred to a different child welfare agency-- one that does allow gay adoption. And Steinhauer and Nalett have once again begun the application process to become his guardians.
"The real reward of dealing with the rebelliousness or the immaturity or the confusion about what he wants to do with the rest of his life comes when he says 'I think I'm now part of a family again,' when he gives you a hug," said Steinhauer.
And when he calls us 'dads'," added Nalett.
Because in their Lakeview home, they said family is important.
"You make your own family, whoever's right in your heart," said Nalett.
Join the Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153138244707688
Mark Saxenmeyer welcomes comments, story ideas and tips at mark.saxenmeyer@foxchicago.com
Here is the First 3 Stories i posted on Current About Kenny So as you can see i have pretty much been dealing with this subject a while now.
http://current.com/technology/92550118_homeless-teens-caught-in-the-system.htm
http://current.com/technology/92553486_homeless-teen-caught-in-the-system-part-2.htm
http://current.com/items/92554955_homeless-teen-caught-in-the-system-part-3.htmUPDATED WITH VIDEO FROM STORY.
I really do not post my "own" story or... more
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Chicago Music Promotions has taken the first step to help the homeless youth and street teens in chicago in lakeview and wrigleyville in downtown chicago. With lack of state services and limited help for runaway youth in chicago we are reaching out to the Music Industry and also Recording Artists to help with this project. For more details please check out.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/matthew-nalett/music-industry-trust-fund-for-at-risk-youth/429850946120
MATT NALETT (Facebook)
http://www.facebook.com/chicagomusicpromotions
WEB
http://www.chicagomusicpromotions.com
STORY INCLUDES
Hello well i am taking the First Step by posting this to everyone i know and here is what i will offer in return for those of you who want to be apart of this.
As most of you know there is a lot of street kids in chicago and most of them are under the age of 17 its very disturbing to me in several aspects since the biggest reason kids and teens are kicked out is because they come out to there parents as gay or lesbian or bisexual or trans. Well in boys town or lake view that is the biggest case.
Well as you know i am helping this boy named Kenny he is a really cool teenager and well me and my partner are helping him since we know he could grow up to be a fully functional adult and hopefully be able to go to college and get a nice career or job doing something he likes. We do not get any money from the state, city or county we are doing it since we love and care for him and his well being.
I am setting up a Trust fund so to speak for kenny so when he turns 18 or legal age he can get his own place and be able to live a normal life, however this trust fund will be to help other at risk teens and young adults in the area with food, clothing, (shelter), and other things it would also show the CITY of chicago that the Music Industry in chicago is very caring and supportive of youth in the city.
I am using a payment processor called Alert Pay so please go to that site and register a FREE Account and be sure to submit a donation for the Recording Industry Trust Fund for Youth. You will get a Reciept of Payment and also as well for those of you who do donate to the cause you will get a FREE LIFETIME ACCOUNT on CHICAGO MUSIC PROMOTIONS and NEW MUSIC PROMOTE for those of you already on my website every time you make a payment for each year we are going to take a portion of that and put it into the trust fund account. But for all NEW PEOPLE you only have to do a 1 time DONATION to get a LIFETIME ACCOUNT.
I feel that i want to give something in return as well and so that is what i got to offer in return for those of you who donate to the cause for this special trust fund. Also as well everyone who donates will be tagged to the NOTE here as well.
IF YOU DONATE $20 YOU WILL GET : Free Lifetime Access to both New Music Promote and Chicago Music Promotions and have a Account. You are helping with a good cause so i am helping back for online marketing and promotions and letting you be on a professional network.
IF YOU DO A DONATION THAT IS $50 OR MORE you will get a FREE EMAIL BLAST as well apart of the website and network usually i charge $50 for a BLAST alone so you are getting 3 things for a donation access to both my music sites and 1 BLAST.
IF YOU DONATE $100 YOU WILL GET 2 Email Blasts not at the same time but spread out over a 3 month range so this is great if you got something you want to release in the next few months or whenever you want to do them.
TO CREATE A ALERT PAY ACCOUNT (FREE)
https://www.alertpay.com/signup/signup.aspx
After Payment you will be redirected from alertpay to a special subscription page that will have all registration features. Thanks for your time and we will tag you to our note page for those of you who have donated or contributed.Chicago Music Promotions has taken the first step to help the homeless youth and... more
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So this Story Comes From the following 2 other threads i posted.
http://current.com/technology/92550118_homeless-teens-caught-in-the-system.htm
http://current.com/technology/92553486_homeless-teen-caught-in-the-system-part-2.htm
Today was a good day i was able to leave a message with his Case Worker and also as well find out he was doing ok at the shelter (I did not get to talk to him yet) but i found out he was at Day Camp for the day so he must be doing ok.
The state is very out-dated i must admit since it took over 20 phone calls in the same building or main building to figure out what the number for his case worker was since she had changed locations (organizations with the state) and the so called Case Tracking System still had old records since 2003 i find that very disturbing and pretty sad.
There was this really nice lady who helped me with all this process with the DCFS and her name was miss walkins she was the biggest help and she told me i should get on to Kenneths Visitor Listing so i can come visit him in the shelter. So i left a voice mail with the Caseworker and also as well i left a voicemail with the Supervisor to call me and also i sent a email to the main mailbox of the organizations website so sooner or later someone will contact me i hope.
I am going to speak to a lawyer in the morning to see if i could somehow get guardianship of kenneth if he wants to live with me and my partner and get out of them foster care units, group homes or shelters
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You are probably asking Why am i doing this for when i am not related or family? Since there is still nice people in this world who care for people and not everyone is going to harm a child physically, mentally or sexually. I have this bond with Kenny since i have known him for a few months in my area of town and seeing him every other day on the streets and giving him food and hanging out with him. I think of him as my little brother or kid.
I feel sometimes people are connected in this world for a reason and i think my reason was to help kenny get off the streets and be there for him. But me and my partner wants to go thru all the legal channels to help him in this process since we do not want to harbor a runaway but also we do not want to see a 15yr old kid out on his ass on the streets and i really do not want to see him in a group home or shelter so before saturday i had made a judgement call to allow him to sleep on our couch and be normal for a couple days before me and him went to the police department so he could re-surrender himself back over to state custody.
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The DCFS system sometimes sucks since there is so much Political and Red Tape and from what i have heard it takes about 3-6 months before your application is even approved and well i hope with the help from this local Lawyer and also talking to kenneth and his caseworker it will be a much faster process if he wants us to take care of him. Otherwise i will be just as happy to be on his Visitor List and visit him in the shelter and be a friend.So this Story Comes From the following 2 other threads i posted.... more
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This is a update from my previous Thread
http://current.com/technology/92550118_homeless-teens-caught-in-the-system.htm
On saturday Me and Kenneth went to the Chicago Police Department and he turned himself back into state custody since he was wanted on missingkids.com and also as well a runaway from the Chicago Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), also he was only 15 years old.
Now there was nothing me and my partner could really do to help him in the long run for now until we speak to his caseworker on monday and also i am going to meet with a foster care and adoption lawyer on tuesday. I was thinking if he is going to keep running away from group homes and shelters why not just get guardianship of him and me and my partner can take care of him instead. Since i know kenneth (Kenny) from the streets in my area of town if he ever runs again he will just run back to the area here and well there is probably a 100% chance he will end up back at our place. I thought he was just a teen homeless person before doing research on him on the internet and found out the Missing Kids Poster and also as well talking to kenny about his whole ordeal the next day it was in our best interest to try and get him back into state custody.
Sure it sucks since the shelters are not really all that great, everyone is treated like a ID number and a Source of Revenue for the state of illinois based on how many kids they got into the system or in different group homes across the city it is sort of depressing in all aspects of the situation. I was homeless at 1 time myself but i was not a runaway and well i was almost a legal adult anyways so my circumstance is a bit different then his but he is just younger.
He was getting bullied and messed with by other people either older then him or around his age and he did not want to be in that type of environment so that is why he always ran away he told me and also he is not in the greatest part of town i must admit a lot of gangs, drug dealers and other interesting things happen over on 50th st and michigan ave in chicago.
Also due to his lifestyle (he is a gay teen) that does not help him in some of these group homes or shelters that have people who might be against GLBT Youth who are homeless in the system as well. From what i have gathered he has been in state custody for about 7 years now with a short break around age 14 when he lived with his sister and she was going to move to colorado and gave him back up to DCFS Custody, also found out she never moved so it was mostly just a drop off to state custody, i must admit very sad your own family member would do that to you. But like everything you hear there is always parts of the story that is left out so there might be some things even kenny has not told me and i will find out later in time.
I had Met Kenneth (Kenny) walking around my area of town around 3am a few months ago and he was just wondering spaced out looking so i known right off the bat he was homeless since he was hanging out with some regular street people i have seen many times in the area. So i bought him food pretty much everytime i seen him and hung out with him on the streets until i got tired enough to go home but never invited him over to our place. I have known kenny for about 3 months now and the other day i seen him during the daytime on Thursday and it was a very HOT day so i invited him over to relax and eat some food and watch some movies or play some video games. So he came over had a nice meal, he was able to get his clothed washed he had a nice shower, and played video games ALL day and watched a few movies, so the time was getting to be around 10pm so i just told him to sleep on our couch. So i started doing some online research on kenneth and found the missing person poster and contacted missing kids to let them know he is safe and fine and i would be talking to him about turning himself back into the state. so by Saturday we went down and took care of business and i am just stressed out since i have to wait until later today to find out how he is doing.This is a update from my previous Thread... more
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The Person i helped Get Off the Streets
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=1149350&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US
*UPDATE JULY 18TH 2010*
I sent a email to a Adoption and Foster Care Lawyer in Chicago over the weekend and she wants to meet with me on Tuesday to Discuss Kenny and also i guess she wants to help me since i asked her in the email if she could do the work pro-bono i hope she is a caring person who can help me get custody of kenny or something so he wont be a ward of the state or homeless on the streets.
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FIRST POSTING BELOW.
You know i have been trying to figure out how to word this statement or note for the past couple days and i feel i am mentally secure to do so now. There is a person we will call Kenny he is a 15 year old ward of the state and he has been in the foster care system since he was 7 . He was living with his sister for a short time during this and he was given up to the state of illinois when he turned 14 and they placed him into a group home in the suburbs. Well from what i have gathered he was mistreated in this group home and bullied and a few other things so he ran away from the group home, now since technically they cannot restrain him from leaving he left on his own will and they let him go. So also him being gay he comes to the neighborhood most at risk teens and young adults come to and that is lakeview or otherwise known as boystown. Now beyond your random drug dealers, drag queens and total mischief you have 1 more thing in this area and that is teen escorts (that is where it does not sit right with me to well) in all sorts of levels.
I normally walk around my area of town from 12 midnight to 3am sometimes when i want to get out of the house and i am bored from being on my computer and i tend to meet a lot of people who are regulars in the area, if you really look at it chicago is not all that big especially when you see the same people hanging around day in and day out. I usually had stopped by this gathering at halsted and belmont ave with the Night Ministry they feed the homeless and they are really cool people i have know them for years in the area and i know most of the staff. That is where i met Kenny i known off the bat i wanted to try my best to help him in all aspects but i really was not sure what i could do.
So it started out with dinner, and then i had him come over and he was able to relax and play video game ALL Day and watch movies on demand and do his cloths (laundry) and also eat a nice meal and get a good nights sleep and he was able to take a nice shower in privacy. Now as for me i do not really sleep since my bullshit case of insomnia and i must admit watching him sleep on the couch was like watching the most peaceful thing on earth, he looked so safe, secure and content it was unreal. I was able to give him a "day off" from the streets and give him a nice place to sleep at at least 1 or 2 nights as i was trying to talk to him about turning himself in and go back into the system so he could be professionally taken care of and hopefully put into a better environment (better shelter) and off the streets (i know at 15 i would have been calling the police on speed dial saying come pick my ass up and take me off these streets).
So me being curious i started doing some research on kenny and found out he was wanted on missingkids.com and he was AWOL from the Illinois Ward System (yeah fun times). He does not do drugs or anything like that and he was not wanted on any criminal related issues just wanted since he ran away from a city or government ran facility. So i had called missing kids and told them i know him and he was doing ok but i would not give anyone "my home address" since i do not want to be on the next episode of cops since i have done nothing wrong that would totally feel awkward having 10 police cars outside and 1 kid in handcuffs being hauled off. (yeah that does not sit right with me either).
So after talking to him and weighing my options in regards to not getting in trouble Harboring a Run Away so to speak, i started calling everyone to inform them that kenny will be turning himself into the state custody in the morning i had to call several state offices and a couple national offices (center for missing and exploited children) and tell them as well what was going on. I must admit i was a bit nervous talking to the local precinct since i did not want them to come over and put handcuffs on him and haul him off to jail like a criminal since he is not. So i just told them that would there be a easier way to do this beyond that method so they gave me some referrals and i talked to the Center on Halsted and also a few other phone numbers and they were really glad to hear kenny was safe and fine.
You as a normal citizen cannot really help anyone under the age of 17 i think or you are looked at as either Harboring a Runaway or you are trying to do something bad to the person there is no safeguard for you helping someone during a time of need. But i told myself during all this IF i go to JAIL for helping someone i would not mind going to jail since in my heart i have done what was right and i would rather see him inside a nice home rather then sleeping at a bus stop, at lake michigan or some random "tricks" house who just want his body.
Sure he is going to have a lot of adjustments to worry about being back into state custody but i think for the long run he will be "just fine" unless he does that whole running away thing again and totally put himself back into the same situation, hopefully he will stick thru it and he will ALWAYS have a friend and someone who cares about him once he turns legal age or well age of emancipation. I am suppost to call his caseworker on monday and talk to her and possibly they will allow me and my partner to visit Kenny in whatever group home they send him to and be able to keep in contact with him. I do understand to some degree that might not be the case since he is a minor and we are not "family" or related to him in any aspect but i do think once you get to know someone and try to help them technically you have became family and that should be allowed. when i was young i was homeless for a short time in my life as well total different circumstances i was not a runaway i was just homeless and i had people who helped me and wanted nothing in return and well i feel in my own aspect i am paying it forward helping someone else.The Person i helped Get Off the Streets... more
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