[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AWARENESS MONTH

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                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 11, 2007

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 527 to recognize the month of November as ``National Homeless 
Youth Awareness Month.''
  Addressing youth homelessness needs to be a priority for Congress. As 
many as 1.6 million youth in our country experience homelessness each 
year, and in my home State of Minnesota, each night, 500 to 600 people 
under the age of 18 are unaccompanied and homeless. Many times these 
young people have been mistreated or abused, and without a permanent 
home, they face increased vulnerability to mental illness, drug use, 
and sexual abuse.
  Establishing a National Homeless Youth Awareness Month is an 
important step toward bringing awareness to this serious problem and 
highlighting the work that is being done to address it.
  I commend and will continue working with the organizations in the St. 
Paul/Minneapolis area that are dedicated to reducing and eliminating 
youth homelessness. For example, the Lutheran Social Service Rezek 
House is a Transitional Living Program, TLP, providing youth with a 
safe place to live for up to 2 years while they stabilize and learn the 
critical life skills they need to support themselves. Additionally, 
SafeZone is an organization helping low-income, runaway, and homeless 
youth to meet their basic needs by providing them with food, clothing, 
HIV testing, and referrals to safe housing. It also offers tutoring, 
independent living skills training, and a support group for Gay, 
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender, GLBT, youth, who are 
disproportionately represented among homeless youth.
  Also, because our communities and our youth are diverse and have 
culturally specific needs, Ain Dah Yung, which means ``our home'' in 
the Ojibwe language, supplies a safe, culturally-relevant space for 
American Indian youth in the Twin Cities. Providing services for 
approximately 500 youth and families, services available through Ain 
Dah Yung include emergency shelter, crisis intervention, counseling, 
case management, and medical care.
  Ensuring that all young people have access to safe, supportive 
housing is essential. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of 
establishing November as ``National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.''

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