If you see them : young, unhoused, and alone in America

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Title:

Author:

Sokolik, Vicki, author.

ISBN:

9781954118492

Personal Author:

Sokolik, Vicki, author.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

337 pages ; 24 cm

General Note:

Source of cataloging data: WCP

Abstract:

"An exploration of the crisis of homeless youth--told through the stories of a woman on the frontlines and the kids themselves"-- Provided by publisher.

"They hide in plain sight. They survive on school breakfasts and lunches, join sports teams in order to shower, sleep on friends' couches, in parks, or on the streets. Their official designation is "unaccompanied homeless youth"--they are not "runaways" breaking free from strict parenting; these are kids seeking safety. They have escaped abusive parents, been abandoned, or never had a home to begin with. When Vicki Sokolik's son brought home a classmate who was living on her own and about to drop out of school to work a minimum wage job, Vicki stepped in to help. Soon she was introduced to other kids who lacked adult supervision, support, and the means to survive and thrive. As she learned more about the invisible population of young people navigating life alone, she discovered the countless ways they are overlooked and impeded by the system. She founded a nonprofit and worked to change legislation in her home state of Florida to give these kids agency over their lives. Listening to the kids opened her up and changed her; and in turn, her unwavering belief in them transformed their ideas of what was possible. If You See Them wakes us up to the issue of youth homelessness in America through Sokolik's own story of advocacy and through the voices of the kids themselves. Her grassroots action demonstrates the world-shifting power of compassion, acceptance, belonging, and self-determination, and the capacity each of us has to change our communities for the better"-- Dust jacket flap.

Contents:

Snowballs -- Starting out -- Sunset Inn Motel -- Help someone else -- Boundaries -- Amanda -- The foreigner -- Amanda and David join forces -- Easy street -- The mayor -- The last hurrah -- Banging on Amanda's front door -- Unaccompanied youth -- Courtney -- The hardest part -- Night terrors -- Courtney's skepticism -- Safe spaces -- Shaq -- Learning to lean on others -- Amanda's call -- Shaq's resistance -- Mindfulness -- Skye -- Skye's resilience -- Cori's surgery -- Courtney's crime -- Advocating -- Sergio -- Sergio's birth certificate -- Taylor -- Taylor's friend -- Randall -- Randall's anger -- What is the fucking lesson? -- Retreat -- Courtney's revelation -- Shaq doesn't see his potential -- Sergio testifies -- Community -- Housing headaches -- Haven Poe -- Sophia -- Amari -- Their truths -- My truths -- When Taylor gets up to speak.

Subject Term:

Homeless youth.

Homelessness.

Human rights advocacy.

Human rights workers.

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Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library	Book	HV1431 .S64 2024	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

A moving exploration of the crisis of homeless youth--told through the inspiring stories of a woman on the frontlines and the kids themselves.

They hide in plain sight. They survive on free school breakfasts and lunches, join school sports teams in order to shower, sleep on friends' couches, in parks, or on the streets. Their official designation is "unaccompanied homeless youth"--they are not "runaways" breaking free from strict parenting; these are kids seeking safety. They have escaped abusive parents, have been abandoned, or have never had a home to begin with.

When Vicki Sokolik's son brought home a classmate who was living on her own and was dropping out of school to support herself, Vicki stepped in to help. As she learned more about the invisible population of young people navigating life alone, she discovered the countless ways they are overlooked and impeded by the system. She founded a nonprofit and worked to change legislation in her home state of Florida to give these kids agency over their lives.

If You See Them wakes us up to the issue of youth homelessness in America, through Sokolik's own story of advocacy and through the voices of the kids themselves. Her grassroots action demonstrates the world-shifting power of compassion, acceptance, belonging, and self-determination, and the capacity each of us has to change our communities for the better.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Rebuilding the shattered lives of unhoused youth. Sokolik, the founder and CEO of Starting Right, Now (SRN), makes a moving debut, recounting her journey from charitable citizen to prominent advocate for the "unseen and unprotected population" of unaccompanied, unhoused youth. Coming from wealth and privilege, the author looked for ways to help those less fortunate, such as delivering Thanksgiving dinners to needy families. "I wanted to show the world that I was a good and useful person," she writes. "It was a way to protect myself from judgment." When she became aware of the large number of unhoused high school students in her Florida community, she saw an opportunity to make a lasting impact. "Each unaccompanied youth has lived a patchwork life," she writes, dealing with violence, abuse, loss of one or both parents, hunger, arrests, loneliness, and sometimes addiction. At first, Sokolik focused on a few teenagers by finding them housing, sifting through the obstacles within federal and state safety nets to get them benefits, smoothing a path to employment, and working with social workers and school counselors to ensure ongoing support. Spurred by her city's mayor, she founded SRN, which offers students mentoring, tutoring, and extensive programming to help them "figure out how to be who they are" and who they hope to become. In her detailed profiles of many of these young men and women, Sokolik highlights the challenges involved in helping them, including negativity, distrust, and various mental health issues. "People who have lived through trauma don't heal overnight," she writes. "You have to keep showing up for them, often in ways they don't expect." The author faced personal challenges, including "letting go of unrealistic expectations" and her tendency to be overbearing. Nevertheless, as she reveals, her stubborn faith and tireless activism have led to some impressive successes. A timely and truly inspiring memoir. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

This is a compelling call to action about a practically invisible population: underage teens living unhoused and alone. These kids can be on their own for any number of reasons, but because they elect to leave their homes instead of being removed by social agencies, they fall outside of the foster care system. Their invariably heartbreaking stories are told by author Sokolik, who grew up safe and supported in a wealthy, tight-knit family. Delivering Thanksgiving baskets to this population, she gradually came to realize the great needs and numbers of these high-school students who crash on friends' couches, join sports teams to have access to showers, and depend on free lunches as their only meals. Sokolik shares how she created the nonprofit Starting Right, Now, an organization that helps teens who can't live at home with everything from underwear and bedding to tutoring, graduating high school, college help, and beyond. Whether describing individual cases or her own daughter, her empathy and determination are evident. Brutally realistic and never preachy, Sokolik advocates strongly for these needy, overlooked children.

Prologue: Snowballs	1
Part 1 Starting Out
1 Sunset Inn Mote	113
2 Help Someone Else	18
3 Boundaries	26
4 Amanda	29
5 The Foreigner	41
6 Amanda and David Join Forces	43
7 Easy Street	54
8 The Mayor	59
9 The Last Hurrah	63
10 Banging on Amanda's Front Door	67
Part 2 Unaccompanied Youth
11 Courtney	77
12 The Hardest Part	86
13 Night Terrors	92
14 Courtney's Skepticism	99
15 Safe Spaces	106
16 Shaq	109
17 Learning to Lean on Others	119
18 Amanda's Call	124
19 Shaq's Resistance	130
20 Mindfulness	141
21 Skye	144
22 Skye's Resilience	155
23 Cori's Surgery	165
24 Courtney's Crime	172
Part 3 Advocating
25 Sergio	181
26 Sergio's Birth Certificate	189
27 Taylor	196
28 Taylor's Friend	206
29 Randall	214
30 Randall's Anger	227
31 What Is the Fucking Lesson?	236
32 Retreat	241
33 Courtney's Revelation	245
34 Shaq Doesn't See His Potential	251
35 Sergio Testifies	259
Part 4 Community
36 Housing Headaches	269
37 Haven Poe	275
38 Sophia	281
39 Amari	292
40 Their Truths	300
41 My Truths	303
Epilogue: When Taylor Gets Up to Speak	315
Acknowledgments	319
Notes	325
About the Author	338

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents