Young Voices.
Real Change.
Statewide Impact.

I didn’t even know I was considered homeless. I was just couch to couch, trying not to overstay my welcome anywhere.

When I aged out of foster care, everyone said ‘good luck’… but nobody told me how to actually live on my own.

I went to school every day like everything was normal, but I was sleeping in a car at night.

I didn’t ask for help because I didn’t want to get my family in trouble… even though I was the one struggling.

The hardest part wasn’t being homeless, it was feeling invisible.

I had a job, but it still wasn’t enough to afford a place. People don’t talk about that part.

I stayed in a bad situation longer than I should have because I had nowhere else to go.

I filled out so many forms and never heard back. After a while, you just stop trying.

I didn’t have an ID, so I couldn’t get a job. But I needed a job to get an ID. I was stuck.

I learned how to survive, but no one ever taught me how to move forward.

When I finally asked for help, I got put on a waiting list. I needed help right then.

I felt judged every time I told my story, so I stopped telling it.

I wasn’t on the streets, so people assumed I was fine. I wasn’t.

I had to choose between finishing school and working enough hours to eat.

I didn’t trust adults because the ones who were supposed to help me didn’t show up.

I remember thinking, ‘If I disappear, would anyone even notice?’

The system felt like it was built for adults, not for someone my age.

I didn’t need someone to save me. I just needed someone to show me where to go.

Every time I started to get stable, something would fall through. It felt like starting over again and again.

I’m not a statistic. I’m a person who just needed a chance.