There are around 400 unaccompanied youths that are currently homeless in Nashua alone. They have no safe place to go, and many live in tents on the banks of the Nashua river. Lucky kids drift from one friend’s house to another, or are taken in by a family member from time to time. But when luck turns, they are on their own. 

 

Many of these kids come from abusive homes, and have run away.  Some are “throwaways”, where their families have kicked them out. Others still have aged out of the foster care system. They have nowhere to go, and no one to turn to for help. The adults in their lives have failed them, and trust does not come easy. 

 

Homeless youths feel unsafe each and every night. Their few possessions may be stolen, drugs and alcohol are rampant, physical abuse, and sex trafficking are very real fears. These factors combined with their youth put them at an increased risk of mental illness, poor health, lacking education, becoming involved with criminal activity, or becoming a victim.  These kids are desperate for a way out. They long for a safe place to go, and they want to be able to help themselves because that is the only person they have been able to consistently rely on in the past. These kids want to work with others, not have things done for them.  They want to be part of their own solution.