Information for teachers and youth leaders coming soon!

The Facts on Homelessness

• Every day in Montgomery County there are more than 1,500 people who are homeless.

• Can you imagine not having your own warm bed to sleep in at night? More than 300 kids every single day in Montgomery County don’t, because they’re homeless. Some of those kids are your age.

• The average age of a homeless person in the United States is 9 years old.

• Homeless kids have grown-ups who love and take care of them, but it’s still very hard for them. They can’t do a lot of the things you do in your home every day - - like having friends over to play, watching t.v., using the computer or eating meals with your family.

• Some homeless people have jobs. In the United States, almost ¼ of all homeless people work but still don’t have enough money for a place to live.

• Not all homeless people wear ripped, dirty clothes and stand on the street corner asking for money. You can’t always tell whether someone is homeless just by looking at them.

• Why are people homeless? One problem is that people don’t make enough money to afford a place to live. Another problem is that housing costs too much for people who don’t make a lot of money.

How Can You Help?

There are lots of ways that kids can help homeless people. With your family, school or youth group, you can:

• Organize food and clothing drives

• Raise money to donate to shelters like ours

• Tell other people about the problem of homelessness - - that’s called “raising awareness”

• Write letters to politicians telling them that you think homelessness is a big problem, and asking them to change or pass laws to help homeless people. We are going to add examples of letters written by kids just like you soon, so check back!

• Do volunteer activities for our organization. Click here to see some of our volunteer needs, and to contact someone on our staff about helping.

• ShelterWalk 'n Roll 2007, our annual walkathon held on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at the Rio Entertainment Center, is another great way to help raise awareness and money for the homeless in Montgomery County. You can walk with your family, or organize a group of walkers from your school or youth group. In addition to our annual Shelter Walk, we have family-friendly music and other festivities before and after the walk. Click here for more information on ShelterWalk 'n Roll.

A Year of Activities - Here are some suggestions for volunteer projects that your family, school, or civic group can do throughout the year. To find out more or to schedule a project, please call us at (301)217-0314.

January - Collect twin blankets and sheets for the Men's Emergency Shelter

February - Make Valentine's Day cards or cookies

March - Prepare 100 bag lunches for the Men's Emergency Shelter

April - Buy and plant flowers at a shelter.

May - Hold a toiletries drive.

June - Hold a summer clothing/shoe drive

July - Host an ice cream party at a shelter

August - Hold a VHS/compact disc/cassette collection drive

September - Collect new school supplies for family shelters

October - Hold a cereal drive for the Men's Emergency Shelter

November - Prepare holiday "cookie kits" for families in our programs.

December - Give new, wrapped presents to residents of an adult shelter (call us beforehand for "wish lists!")