Young and Homeless, Cruise Kinneson refuses to give up on his dreams.

Most high school kids aren’t particularly enthusiastic about school. Sick? Field trip? Playing hooky? Anything to stay home.

But Cruise Kinnison never thought that way.

“I’ve always wanted to get my education,” he says. “Within my family, there’s not many people who’ve graduated high school or college. I want to be the first to do so. I want to get a job, support myself, do the things that I want to do.”

Read the rest of the story here: http://trueslant.com/megancottrell/2010/02/02/young-and-homeless-cruise-kinnison-refuses-to-give-up-on-his-dreams/

2009 Holiday of Hope

On Sunday December 20th, 2009 we held our first annual Holiday of Hope event. We hope to have these all across the country next year to help families who are homeless during the holidays. We did this event in conjunction with Help Portrait (www.help-portrait.com). We had about 300 ppl attend. We provided lunch to all attendees as well as toys for the children, free haircuts and portraits. It was an incredible event. The community of Auburn really pulled together on this one. Ck out the article done by the Auburn Citizen: http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/12/21/local_news/news01.txt

How Can I Help ?

•Volunteer with The Forsaken Generation Project. We are a nationwide organization. No matter what city, state or town you live in we can use your help. The number of homeless children is higher than ever. With many shelters being at capacity and winter on it's way we are in a national state of crisis, your volunteer efforts are needed now more than ever. We are currently looking for Shelter coordinators, Student Homeless Liaison Coordinators, and Media Coordinators. You can also volunteer at a local shelter in your area. Email us for a list of opportunities.

•Help us by contacting our policymakers. State legislators, Governors and Federal Legislators are a great start. Contact us and we will provide you with a list of your local and state policymakers. We will also provide you with sample letters to send to them. Get your friends and family together and help us organize a letter writing campaign or phone bank operation.. there is power is numbers! If you are a student this is a great activity to organize at your High School or College.

•Contact the media. Newspapers and, TV stations are vital in making people aware that children are homeless. Email us and we will send you a sample press release to send to your local media outlets.

•Participate in peer outreach and community-based outreach to prevent youth homelessness in the first place. If you think someone you know is considering running away or already has, call 1-800-RUNAWAY or contact the Family and Youth Services Bureau to help find shelter for a homeless youth.

•Stay up to date on upcoming opportunities with Forsaken Generation. Visit us on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on how you can help.

•Buy a Forsaken Generation T-shirt. All proceeds go to benefit our youth homeless project. But please not only buy the shirt but wear it and help us spread awareness for this very important cause.

•If you are in High School or College help us start a Forsaken Generation group at your school, if you are interested in forming a group email us today!

Letter Writing and Call Campaign

Letter Writing/Call Campaign

You can start by calling Congress and the White House.

You can reach your U.S. Representative through the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121 and your two U.S. Senators at 202-224-3121.

To look up your elected officials, click here.

When you are connected to your Member’s office:

* Ask to speak to the Legislative Assistant in charge of housing, health, or education issues.
* Be brief and polite.
* Talk about how your state ranked in America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness and why you believe no child in your state should be homeless.
* You will be asked for your name and hometown.
* The Legislative Assistant will document your call.

If the office receives more than a dozen calls from constituents on a particular issue, it will be brought to the attention of the legislator. So, please make your calls – and urge your family and friends to do the same.

You can call the White House at 202-456-1111 or send an email to comments@whitehouse.gov. Each of these calls and emails are logged and noted. You can really make a difference.

SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS:

Dear [Member of Congress]:

America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report on Child Homelessness, a new report by the National Center on Family Homelessness, shows [insert state name] ranks [ranking number] out of all 50 states. I urge you to take action today so that every child has a place to call home.

If we fail to act, the consequences are dire: homeless children experience far more hunger, poorer physical and mental health, and fewer educational opportunities than children who have homes. The price homeless children pay is terrible, and it is also high for every taxpayer in our state. From infancy through childhood, homeless children have significantly higher levels of acute and chronic illness. Almost half of homeless children suffer from anxiety and depression; one-third express their distress through aggressive or delinquent behaviors. Staggeringly, less than one in four homeless children graduates from high school.

I urge you to make the goal of ending homelessness for all children a high priority. Please support capitalizing the National House Trust Fund at $10 billion for two years, funding for 400,000 new housing vouchers for $3.6 billion for two years, and providing full funding for Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act at $210 million to supports homeless children and their families.

Detailed information about America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report on Child Homelessness can be found at www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org, including specific federal and state policy recommendations that I ask you to review and consider.

Thank you for making the needs of our most vulnerable children a high priority.

Sincerely,

[name]


SAMPLE LETTER TO STATE LEGISLATOR:

Dear [Legislator]:

America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report on Child Homelessness, a new report by the National Center on Family Homelessness, shows [insert state name] ranks [ranking number] out of all 50 states. I urge you to take action today so that every child in our state has a place to call home.

If we fail to act, the consequences are dire: homeless children experience far more hunger, poorer physical and mental health, and fewer educational opportunities than children who have homes. The price homeless children pay is terrible, and it is also high for every taxpayer in our state. From infancy through childhood, homeless children have significantly higher levels of acute and chronic illness. Almost half of homeless children suffer from anxiety and depression; one-third express their distress through aggressive or delinquent behaviors. Staggeringly, less than one in four homeless children graduates from high school.

I urge you to make the goal of ending homelessness for all children in our state a major priority. Please include the needs of homeless children when you are engaged in discussions and work about housing, health care, nutrition, and education. [You may want to add state-specific information here.]

Detailed information about America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report on Child Homelessness can be found at www.HomelessChildrenAmerica.org, including specific state policy recommendations that I ask you to review and consider.

Thank you for making the needs of our most vulnerable children a high priority.

Sincerely,

[name]
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End Youth Homelessness

The Forsaken Generation Youth Homeless Project is a nationwide effort to end Youth Homelessness. The average age of someone who is labeled homeless is 9 years old. The face of homelessness is in the eyes of a helpless and innocent child. We must act now. The statistics on youth homelessness are staggering. In 2 years the number of homeless youth has increased by 100%. Sadly these children have been overlooked for far too long. We must reach reach out with compassion and help these children who desperately need our help. Youth Homeless Shelters across the country are shutting down due to lack of funding. Existing shelters are struggling to survive.

Children are being turned away and forced to sleep on the streets because many shelters don't have room and they lack funding to expand their existing services. Many shelters lack the necessary supplies needed to provide their residents with food, clothing and proper hygiene.

With your help The Forsaken Generation Project will raise funding to support and expand existing shelters, while opening new shelters across the country. We will increase awareness of youth homelessness and build better tomorrows for America's Forsaken Generation.