2
g Just «ait ' aprii 2 d 2001
LIVING ON
THE EDGE
Continued from Page 2 7
Outside In provides health care, counseling,
referral services and other needs. “Outside In
was started 30 years ago by lesbian separatists for
free health care for homeless people,” Favor says.
The health clinic offers Western, Chinese
and naturopathic medicine; HIV and dental
care; and a needle exchange program for IV drug
users. These services are free for homeless people
and discounted for low-income individuals.
Outside In also provides crisis counseling
and activities to build skills and promote alter
natives to living on the streets. “We work out
goals like housing and jobs,” Favor explains.
“We do referrals, job training and other skills.”
Transitional housing also is available at the
YWCA. Later this year, Outside In will move to
new facilities up the street, where all programs
will be under one roof.
Another component of its services is VO IC
ES, a weekly support group for homeless sexual
minority or questioning youth. Last year, 57
people attended the meetings.
The HIV+ Youth Housing Program pro
vides two transitional beds for kids who are
HIV-positive. They also are given medical,
educational and employment assistance for
independent living.
New Avenues serves kids younger than 18,
such as Brandy, Stephanie and Chantel. Pro
grams include a multiservice center, street out
reach, drop-in services, education, case manage
ment, medical, food and shelter services.
To sleep, homeless kids use youth shelters—
SMYRC works closely with Outside In, espe
cially with the HIV prevention programs, and
has a case manager who works one-on-one with
the youth. Two foster homes collaborate with
the Boys and Girls Aid Society.
The youth targeted for the foster home pro
gram aren’t so much street-affiliated, Beige says.
"W hen kids are entrenched in the street culture,
they aren’t likely to do well in foster homes
because there are
rules.”
I n i m m XN I K v ....
But to survive
m \ IO INDIMMI M S W IIO IIAVK
t O V U M M I V D IM K m i n.
on the streets, kids
k a s i i f d . s m > ti < m > \ k i * i / i n lift:
need more than
s u m OF OHI! KS.
just
the youth ser
o t »NIDI IN « I l 1 NO I DNltKK
l i o n INDIMMI \l S lONl.FF.POH
vices. They need
The Seattle-based Pride Foundation recently presented Outside In a $1,000 grant
HVNI.Ol » ON IIII SI 1‘RFAHSKS
each other.
U II K HOI KMIK III KIM,
for a mural at its new housing facility
UFFKI NON.
“We are family
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here,”
C hantel
resource information and clothing foi
or the streets themselves. “I have squatted in
Il VOI DO NOI I KAM Mil Wil l
says. “It’s not like
parks, Southeast Portland, and I couch-surf,” homeless kids.
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that at home. I
Although the shelters offer a clean,
Chantel says.
have found a bond
She prefers squatting the best. “We squatted safe environment for kids to sleep, they
down here, the love and caring.”
under a bridge, but the cops busted us. It was lack adequate facilities for transgendered youth.
Stephanie agrees. “We take care of each
nice—only people we knew were squatting “One of the biggest challenges in our shelters is
there. As long as we aren’t destroying anything, sleeping accommodations, especially for trans other.”
Fonner street youth who now have a job and
gender kids,” Kerr notes.
we should be able to stay there.”
For example, biological males still must sleep apartment haven’t forgotten their less fortunate
She, Brandy and Stephanie also sleep at the
in male dorms even if they identify as female. To friends. “They come back and take care of us,”
Porchlight Youth Shelter, which is housed in
the same building as Greenhouse. It allows alleviate this problem, some shelters have sepa Chantel says. “One kid— he works downtown—
he comes around with a pocketful of change.”
rate rooms for privacy; others partition off areas.
youth to drop in anytime to sleep, while the
This family also makes the streets seem safer.
For socialization needs, homeless kids turn to
neighboring Streetlight is more strict; youth
“It’s very, very few times I have been alone
only can sleep there at night and must be in case the Sexual Minority Youth Recreation Center.
downtown
and scared,” Chantel says. “Within
“There is recreation, usually ftxxl, kids can sleep
management.
Janus Youth Services is the umbrella for on the couches, scxdalize with peers, do home five minutes, you see someone you know,”
about 20 different services for youth in the Port work," says Kathy Beige, program manager for Stephanie agrees.
But there are rules on the streets; fierce loy
land area. These include Porchlight, Streetlight, Vanguard Youth Services, which oversees some
of SMYRC’s programs. She estimates about 19 alty is demanded. Chantel tells the story of a
a transitional housing program and the outreach
newly homeless youth stealing from another kid.
program Yellow Brick Road. Volunteers roam percent of the youth who use the center are
“O ther kids threw him off the bridge,” she
homeless.
the streets at night carrying first aid, hygiene,
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