(WHAS11) - A local organization called Safe Place wants to bring attention to the amount of homeless teenagers.
In Jefferson County Public Schools 9,000 kids are homeless. They make up the lasrgest growing population in the district. In this country, 1.6 million teens have slept on the streets in the past 12 months.
One teenager, Nick Brown, was on the streets at the age of 15. He was lying by a dumpster, homeless, when he saw a Safe Place sign.
They helped him, now he is helping others.
“I’ve seen more than I would have thought and it’s not always homeless teens that [stet] parents are on drugs or anything like that,” Brown said. “It’s a lot of parents lost their jobs, the parents are sleeping on somebody’s couch and the house they are staying at just doesn’t have room for that kid.”
Its not only teenagers without a home, but in 2008 the Coalition for the Homeless said the average age of a homeless person is 9.
Lakrista Jones spent time as a child in a homeless shelter and now lives with her mom. They are currently back on their feet.
Jones said when she was on the street with her mother they were surrounded by drug addicts and alcoholics. She said ti was tough and she would not talk about it with her friends. But she says now that she is older, she is not ashamed of her past.
Kids can now text message Safe Place if they need help, just text “safe” to 69866.
