On November 2nd, I attended the service event at the Huckleberry House. Prior to going, I had heard of it because my aunt actually worked there when she was in college, but I did not have a good grasp on all that they do for the youth in the area. Because of that, this event impacted me in a few different ways.
The Huck House is a house near campus that services central Ohio youth and their families. At the house, they have what it called a Crisis Shelter Program. Here they have a certain amount of rooms and bed and they allow youth to stay if there are problems at home. They must be between the ages of 12 and 17. In order to stay though, the teens need to say they want to be there, and their parents have to also allow them to stay there. Typically, they length of stay is around a week but there are some teens who do stay longer. There is not a limit on this; it is circumstantial. The kids who are there continue going to school, and at the House, they have therapy sessions and receive hot meals. The ultimate goal is that the children will go stay back with their parents as long as the situation is not abusive to them.
Staying at the house is not the only service that they provide. They also have a Crisis hotline that teens can call to talk to someone immediately. They provide what is called a Transitional Living Program for those between the ages of 17 and 21 who would be homeless without this program. To be in it, the young people must be employed or in school. It lasts 18 months and Huck House gives access to a safe apartment while teaching skills to successfully live on your own.
There is also a Family Support Program for people between the ages 12 and 22 and their families. This is a counseling program that is offered in different settings as a way to be more flexible. Another program similar to this is the Youth Outreach Program. It is for those 12-24 who need help finding resources to help them with things such as education, employment, and housing problems.
I gained a lot more from this event personally than in other areas. I learned all of these aspects of the house that I did not know existed. I also did not realize how prevalent homelessness is for youth, especially in Franklin County. Coming here made me more conscious about how grateful I should be for the way I grew up and that I did not have to deal with these things. There was a boy there who thanked us many times for cleaning their house and it just shows how appreciative they can be.
It also helps me to understand that when I do become a teacher, I need to be aware that some kids do not have traditional family lives, and I need to understand that their level of wanting to pay attention and focus may be based around these things.
On the level internationally, homelessness is not just a problem for people in the US. This is an issue all over the world, as is the need for counseling and things of that nature. There should be safe spaces all over so that kids feel protected. Housing is not something that children should have to figure out on their own.