Private Story
In Tallahassee, Homeless Youth are Treading Water
Most of the homeless youth I met weren’t sleeping in public streets. They double-up. One person will manage to get a legitimate apartment, motel or house and all of their unsheltered friends come to crowd in and sleep on any available space. Domestic tension is heightened and when the landlord finds out they are all evicted and turned loose to land in another precarious housing situation. They are in constant motion, punctuated by periods of boredom waiting on rides and biding time until the next crisis.
Many of the kids don’t see themselves as homeless. They grew up in chaos. They think it’s normal. And consequently, so will their children. It causes a lot of psychological trauma, they readily told me about their past neglect, abuse and rough experiences, but, on a day to day level, they don’t see themselves as abnormal. They have no concept of what life looks life on the other side of the property line. When a family member would get an SS check income, they were considered “making it”.
Despite their precarious lives, Going Places was where they all flowed through. If not this moment, then in a few hours or a couple of days. They came back again and again because they feel comfortable there. It’s a safe place for them to be for a few hours. It’s informal and the kids get to know the caseworkers who work on the couch next to them and banter with them. This sets up a trust. Caseworkers can be an influential adult figure that is taken seriously. Their favorite caseworker is who they call when they have a fight or land in jail.
Renée Deemer - Visual Journalist
Renée Deemer - Visual Journalist
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