Annual Homeless Youth Awareness Month Fundraising
Spread Awareness....wear some GREEN
To help raise awareness of the homeless youth our country is falling victim to, wear or support something green to help start up the conversation of this true epidemic spreading through our country.
History of National Homelessness Youth Awareness Month
In November of 2007, it was first declared that the month of November would be dedicated to bringing awareness to the National Homeless Youth crisis our country is facing. As many as 2.5 million children are experiencing homelessness per year in America! Unfortunately, when children are exposed to homelessness, they're being faced with other traumas & other unhealthy lifestyles. Such as drugs, trafficking, families being torn apart, PTSD, depression and so much more.
What is Home for New Beginnings Doing?
Our Executive Director realized during her time as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), that our Department of Childrens Safety was failing dramatically. If children didn't have a family member to take custody of them, and there wasn't a Foster parent available, they would sometimes resort to sleeping on the floor of the case workers office!
She also witnessed children being victims of trafficking, not be taken care of accordingly to their needs (i.e. counseling, therapy, etc.) instead they become institutionalized. Therefore, being lost to the correctional facilities resulting in growing up behind bars.
It was then that she decided something needed to be done. Sunshine Acres in Mesa, Arizona is the perfect model of what group homes need to be. So that is what Home for New Beginnings is striving to bring to the Verde Valley.
What Can You Do?
So what can you do? Unfortunately, grants aren't large enough to be funding a newly built home, or to re-build a home to code for a group home.
We are always looking for a home building company to either donate the home, or the product to build, or even the time to build a home. We are always looking for the best property out there to build on. Not only the home, but large enough to continue growing with homes. Even acreage for a barn and animals so children can participate in animal therapy, FFA and 4-H.
All of this takes money....lots of money. So with the continuation of applying for large grants, we are also looking for private donors! That's where you come in. Whether it's you or someone you know, the more you talk about the need for a home like this, the more people will be reached!