Portland's homeless youth population comes from a variety of economic and ethnic backgrounds. These kids have faced debilitating challenges, often in combination, ranging from familial substance abuse, change in family composition, domestic violence, religious or sexual minority issues, failure of the foster system, to mental, sexual or physical abuse.

These experiences have left them with deeply ingrained feelings of worthlessness and despair. They feel victimized, isolated, afraid, distrustful and often justifiably so. Unfortunately, the oppressive problems resulting from an unhealthy home life are often compounded by the physical and emotional toll of what it takes to survive on the streets.

These kids face some formidable obstacles. They are alienated from their families and the community, and sadly, they often feel like they deserve it. This leads to destructive behaviors that range from simply not seeing themselves as capable of change and success, or not believing that they are valuable individuals worthy of love and respect, to engaging in terrible cycles of self-violence that replicate prior patterns of abuse. Our attitudes hold us as firmly in place as our circumstances.