“Just because youth are sleeping outside doesn’t mean they prefer to live there,” writes YouthCare’s CEO, Melinda Giovengo, in this Op-Ed to the Seattle Times.
“That’s a false dichotomy. It means they were put in the impossible situation of choosing themselves over their family. Or abandoning their partner, because there’s no couples’ shelter. Or their dog, because there’s no place for pets. We present a “choice” for those experiencing homelessness that most of us would refuse to accept: give up our possessions, personal agency and sense of belonging.”