Homeless Youth

A short film puts the spotlight on the issue of teens and young adults who don't have a place to call home.

By Laura Latzko

Short film addresses the plight of homeless youth

The director of short film about homeless youth says the problem, which affects LGBT youth, is difficult because teens and young adults are forced to leave home for different reasons, including being kicked out by their parents.

"After talking to kids, you realize there is no one reason," said Fred Smith, director of The Invisible Youth of America. "It's not a poverty issue. Not an immigration issue. It's not narcotics. It's not a teen pregnancy issue.

Smith's film was made in 2010 and uploaded to YouTube last year.

The film was originally meant as the story of Zach Bonner, a 12-year old boy who was walking through Arizona during a cross-country trip to raise awareness about homeless youth. Smith said the film became about the magnitude of the problem of youth homelessness.

"I was wondering how this could get past me," said Smith, the father of a 2-year old child. "It opened my eyes and made me realize this is something we need to take action on."

In the film, Derek Deegan, the chief investment officer at the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development in Phoenix, talks about how human trafficking is a major problem for homeless youth.

Deegan said that homeless youth in Arizona, especially LGBT youth, are vulnerable to being trafficked for labor or sex because they have few options.

"People who feed off these victims don't care," Deegan said. "They are using them for slave labor."

A 2010 report by the Arizona Department of Economic Security found that the state has more than 29,000 homeless youth. Deegan said the youth homeless population in the state includes a disproportionate number of LGBT youth.

Deegan said that homeless youth are often invisible to the public because they often don't fit the public's image of sympathetic homeless people. He said they often have mental health or drug problems and have difficulty interacting with and trusting people, especially adults.

"Young people who have lost connections with adults have lost connection with humanity," Deegan said. "I try to tell people if we aren't helping these young people, they are doomed."

Deegan said that Tumbleweed works to give homeless youth resources, such as housing, clothing, healthcare services, food and training, which help them to better their situations. He said that to successfully help homeless youth, homeless centers need to be open to and respectful of everyone.

"When you walk through the door, you are a living, breathing human being," Deegan said. "You have dignity. You have rights. You have value." -E