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Sadly, I’m not alone in this experience. I interviewed Manuel, a 16-year old student that goes to my school. He too has been homeless before and explained to me how being homeless affected him physically and mentally. He said that all he would eat was junk food, like me, and think about the next time he’d sleep in his own bed. “What I had felt was an empty feeling in my chest,” he explained. Manuel was heartbroken. It breaks your heart knowing you literally have nothing and you can’t help it because you’re too young to get a job.
From what I have seen during this writing process, homelessness has become a serious issue in our county. The County of Merced did a homeless count in 2011 to inform their report, Merced 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, and according to that there are approximately 500 homeless people in the county on any given day. The report also mentions that the actual number of people who experience homelessness throughout the year is probably much higher.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with a similar problem, there is assistance available in our county. Merced County Rescue Mission on Canal St. give out free meals throughout the day. The Valley Crisis Center is an emergency shelter and has transportation available for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. There’s also a shelter on 15th Street that provides shelter for a maximum of 150 days a year, everyday from 4pm to 7am.
According to California Homeless Youth Project, there is estimated to be between 1.6 and 2.7 million homeless youth ages 12-24 in the US, and according to that same project, there are no specific homeless youth programs in Merced County. They believe that the majority of homeless youth have been missed by the system and can end up ineligible for many of the services that are available for adults.
Being homeless was very stressful for my family and I. Luckily, my parents found a cheap little place to live for a while and today we live in a house to call our own. It’s a great feeling to know I have a place to rest at the end of the day.
