It’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it? Families gather to celebrate traditions that go back thousands of years: Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, Las Posadas, Bodhi Day, Santa Lucia Day and Winter Solstice.
Silly songs such as “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth,” “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” and others can remind us to think about what’s important in our lives. Another song, “All I Want for Christmas is You,” popularized by Mariah Carey, gets closer to the truth. This time of year makes us realize how much we need a connection to family and friends.
If you’re a homeless kid, however, this need is often more abstract. The reasons they’re homeless are many — broken homes, broken dreams, pain, injury, hunger, and lack of shelter from the cold. Perhaps we should add to the chorus of holiday songs with “All I want for Christmas is a family and a place to sleep.”
It’s important to remember that this is a season to celebrate family. The concept of family extends far beyond the traditional nuclear unit. It’s about those who provide us with love, support, and a sense of belonging, regardless of biological ties.
The teens we work with at Homeless Resources for Youth (HRY) benefit from having a roof over their heads, healthy reliable meals, education, and stable family role models. Our HRY hosts can make a kid’s transition to adult maturity smoother. But it can take time and patience. Learning how to do homework without their cellphones, or just doing simple household chores can seem unreasonable or even cruel at first for some kids. It takes patience, compassion, and support from our team. Hopefully, you will consider being a supporter of our effort, whether becoming a host home or financial provider. It’s a family thing.
If you’re willing to take on this challenge, we need to talk! HRY funding is all by private donations. If you would like to help HRY change the life of a local teen, reach out to HRY at PO Box 135, Topsham, ME 04086, or contact Pam Gormley at housingresourcesforyouth@gmail.com or (207) 751-8478.
Pam Gormley is executive director of Housing Resources for Youth. Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among local nonprofit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
