Some arresting statistics on housing and homelessness

Thankfully most of the homeless children are in some kind of temporary shelter. It's good to look up at a ceiling. We wish all of these families well. It's certainly not easy.

And lots of the people on that waiting list are not in Pasadena. That's what else the report said. D.

Wouldn't it be nice to think that children are taken care of an not living on the streets homeless. Well, let's not fool ourselves, even those that may not be homeless, are living on the edge and are nearly homeless. Take for instance one of our clients at Foothill Family Service, let's call her Tami: Tami is a 17-year-old high school senior with good grades and aspirations to pursue a college degree. Her family is comprised of three family members including herself. Tami and her father are the providers for the family. When her father is at work, Tami is responsible for going to school and taking care of her mother who is on dialysis and is bed-ridden. Because emergency Medi-cal does not cover a nurse or care provider, our 17-year-old client provides care for her mother when she gets home from school and in the night hours when needed (this includes cleaning the home, cooking and providing basic medical functions such as replacing equipment on mother’s dialysis machine, taking her to her medical appointments and bathing her). The family relies on food banks and second-hand clothing to get by. Currently, what her father earns is not enough to pay the rent or the bills. Tami has recently taken a part-time job to assist her family pay for the household bills and rent. Tami has no social life but wants to go to her prom. She cannot because she does not have a prom dress, shoes or the money to buy the ticket. Tami is one of the "lucky" ones. She has a roof over her head...but how "lucky" is she really??? There are others, 1,000's in the Pasadena area alone, who are living like Tami or worse; some in a garage with 6 family members and no heat. How do we know? We serve them! But they are not considered "homeless." Every day Foothill Family Service's waiting list grows. It stands at over 500 families awaiting services. But as a non-profit we can only serve those we have enough funds for. In one week we provided services for over 1,716 children and families in San Gabriel Valley and 572 in Pasadena alone. Yet we cannot meet the growing need. What can you do, get informed, involved and invested. Know what is happening, help by volunteering at organizations serving the needy like Foothill Family Service, and provide financial support to those who help children and families overcome the conditions that have put them in these situations. It will be well worth your time, talent and treasure!