Photo of the Week: Vigor

Though his picture is everywhere this week, we couldn’t help honoring Senator Kennedy a bit more. This image, from his Senate campaign in 1962, shows Kennedy as an idealistic youth just getting started.

A great reminder of why we do what we do.

Photo: uncredited

Young & Homeless in NYC

A recent study published by Convenant House , which operates shelters for young people, reveals the number of young and homeless in New York City has increased by one-third since last year. On any given night, approximately 3,800 young people are on the street.

[T]he study, one of the largest-ever examinations of young homeless people in New York, found that their future did not look much better — because they are dangerously isolated from mainstream channels of work, family life and basic schooling.

Forty-seven percent of the group said they had been disciplined physically before entering the shelter, 37 percent said they had been victims of physical abuse, and 19 percent had endured sexual abuse. Forty-one percent said they had witnessed violence in their homes.

The vast majority said they found it difficult or impossible to find a good job. Seventy-eight percent said they were unemployed when they entered the shelter. Among those who had jobs, 41 percent said those jobs were “off the books.”

Kevin M. Ryan, the president of Covenant House, a privately financed agency with facilities in 20 cities nationwide, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Newark and St. Louis, said he hoped the study alerted the public “to the growing crisis of homeless youth in New York City."

Want to help MYD make a difference in young people’s lives? Email Sarah Gudernatch, MYD’s Community Service Director .