Book description
Inside the lives of homeless teensÂ-moving stories of pain and hope
from Covenant House
Almost Home tells the stories of six remarkable young people
from across the United States and Canada as they confront life alone
on the streets. Each eventually finds his or her way to Covenant
House, the largest charity serving homeless and runaway youth in North
America. From the son of a crack addict who fights his own descent
into drug addiction to a teen mother reaching for a new life, their
stories veer between devastating and inspiring as they each struggle
to find a place called home.
- Includes a foreword by Newark Mayor Cory Booker
- Shares the personal stories of six homeless youths grappling
with issues such as drug addiction, family violence, prostitution,
rejection based on sexual orientation, teen parenthood, and aging
out of foster care into a future with limited skills and no
support system
- Gives voice to the estimated 1. 6 million young people in the
United States and Canada who run away or are kicked out of their
homes each year
- Includes striking photographs, stories of firsthand experiences
mentoring and working with homeless and troubled youth, and
practical suggestions on how to get involved
- Discusses the root causes of homelessness among young people,
and policy recommendations to address them
- Provides action steps readers can take to fight youth
homelessness and assist individual homeless young people
- Written by Kevin Ryan, president of Covenant House, and Pulitzer
Prize nominee and former New York Times writer Tina Kelley
Inviting us to get to know homeless teens as more than an
accumulation of statistics and societal issues, this book gives a
human face to a huge but largely invisible problem and offers
practical insights into how to prevent homelessness and help homeless
youth move to a hopeful future. For instance, one kid in the book goes
on to become a college football player and counselor to at-risk
adolescents and another becomes a state kickboxing champion. All the
stories inspire us with victories of the human spirit, large and
small. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will help
support kids who benefit from Covenant House's shelter and outreach
services.
KEVIN RYAN is President of Covenant House International, which
reaches 56,000 at-risk and street youth in more than twenty cities
across six countries. Ryan is one of the country's most respected
child advocates and his work has been covered by the New York
Times and the Washington Post. He has appeared on Today,
Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper 360, and other
national media.
TINA KELLEY was a staff writer for the New York Times
for ten years and shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the paper's
coverage of the September 11 attacks. She wrote 121 "Portraits of
Grief" profiles of the victims and is the author of two books of
poetry, The Gospel of Galore and Precise.
