LGBTQ Foster Care, Suicide & Ground Truths

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child self harm and suicide, LGBTQ, Reporting and News - US Based

About a third of kids in NY’s foster care identify as LGBTQ and nationally, about 24% do.  40% of homeless kids in NY City identify as LGBTQ and 42% of them had been in foster care.

This NY Times article focuses on how hard life is for them.  Many of these youth and children are in foster care because their parents rejected them.

Many are homeless, depressed and leading dysfunctional lives.

Every year about 12,000 children aged 5-14 years old are admitted to psychiatric hospital units for suicidal behavior. This and all the information following are PRE COVID.

Young children who have attempted suicide are up to 6 times more likely to attempt suicide again in adolescence

Helping Homeless Kids In Minnesota

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - MN Specific

COVID has overwhelmed much of our safety net for youth and finding shelter space is harder now.

Do you know a homeless or at risk youth in Minneapolis, ST Paul or Anoka ?(share this on your social media)

Tell them about the YMCA’s Communities Host Program where they can find safe, friendly and free shelter for up to a year at a time.

HOW TO HELP OR GET HELP

• To sign up to be a host home or for more details about the program, call the YMCA at 612-208-7381.

• Homeless youth age 24 and under can receive services such as meals and housing referrals at the Link’s drop-in center at Grace Lutheran Church, 7800 West County Road 42 in Apple Valley from 2-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Poverty, Structural Racism and Children (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Today’s Safe Passage short post about the impact of poverty and racism on children hits the nail on the head.  Decades and generations of children living without enough to eat, access to health and mental health care and all the stress that accompanies people in fear of homelessness and hunger.

Does you community accept young children being expelled from daycare and elementary school?  The violence and trauma visited upon us at this time is a direct result of how America treats its children.  Life would be way better for all of us if we cared more for other people’s children.

SMART JUSTICE – Mental Health Police in Texas

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Juvenile + Criminal Justice

A friend sent me this today and I think it would solve many of our nations troubles and is worth sharing (widely). San Antonio Texas and Bexar County have saved 50 Million dollars and made life safer, more just, and much kinder for their citizens. The jails aren’t full today because the officers are dealing with the mental health issues that are getting people shot and beat up by other police departments.

Instead of facing more awful stories about how police departments are causing their communities to fear them, this department has recognized that jail is ineffective in treating mentally unhealthy people involved in low level crime and they came up with a better way. Read the whole story below (with audio).

Watch & Share these 2 minute trailers from KARA’s TV documentary project (help us BUILD KARA & spread the word)