SOME HOMELESS ARE CHILDREN

This is a true story from a woman who was homeless as a child. The point is, not all homeless are that way because of something they did wrong. The innocent also can be homeless and it is up to us to find ways to help.

My sister was 5, I was 2, and we were living with our parents across from a truck stop. Our mom was mentally ill and was hospitalized after trying to kill herself, our father left right after that. It took about two weeks for someone at the truck stop to realize we were on our own. I know we'd been asking people there for food, but I'm not sure how long we were doing that. Our mother's parents were notified and they flew down the same day to pick us up and take us back to Iowa with them.

I was so young that I hardly remember anything, but it's had a huge impact on my sister's life. For those two weeks she had to make sure I had food to eat, had my diaper changed, got baths, and didn't get hurt. I have a two year old now and I have no idea how she did it.

My grandparents took us in, unfortunately my sister was released to the system when she was diagnosed with behavioral disorders. Our mother fought with schizophrenia for 11 more years, she committed suicide in 1991. I stayed with my grandmother until I left for college, and my sister was in a series of foster/group homes until she was released early at 17 to an apartment of her own.

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