Music festival part of mission to raise awareness of homeless youth
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The UAW Retirees Hall crackled with energy Friday night as Third Level held its S.O.S. Music Festival II.
Featuring three local bands, the event drew 130 young people for an evening of dancing, fun and friendship.
The varied musical fare included the reggae sounds of The Souldiers, the punk rock of Backyard Disaster as well as Heroic Villain - something to please everyone in the range of listeners.
"I like listening to the music, it is real relaxing and peaceful here," said Tiffany, a teen attendee, adding there are not many other events in the area geared to her age group.
Third Level's Street Outreach Program sponsored the dance to help fill this gap, noted Niki Dunwiddie-Kiss, a street outreach worker with the program.
In addition, the evening's goal was to help homeless teens in the area, in keeping with the mission of the Street Outreach Program. Attendees could either pay $2 at the door or donate a winter apparel item, such as a scarf, hat or gloves for youth in need.
"There's not a lot going on for teens, the schools have their dances and the Boys and Girls Club has their after-school activities," she said.
For musician Ryan, a teen member of the band Backyard Disaster, playing for peers was a self-described rush.
"It was awesome," he noted.
In the third year of their three-year grant, the Street Outreach Program targets homeless youth ages 10-20. In this affluent area and popular vacation destination, homelessness is a hidden problem that goes under the radar of everyday life. Homeless youth are even more hidden as they face greater barriers than adults or families do.
A young person under 18 who was kicked out of their home or who ran away is in a legal limbo. They cannot check into the Goodwill Inn Homeless Shelter or access other human services programs due to their age, noted Dunwiddie-Kiss.
"All of those things that we take for granted they can't do because they are not 18," she said. "Some are considered runaways. They can't rent apartments on their own, can't sign themselves up for school, at 17 you need to have parental signatures."
"Banking, if you are homeless, what address do you have to write down on a job application or what phone number?" Dunwiddie-Kiss added. "It's amazing when you think about what you can't do at that age: can't join the military, can't get a car loan."
To determine the scope of youth homelessness, the Street Outreach Service counted homeless youth in the region, which includes Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim and Kalkaska counties. In 2002, they found 190 homeless young people and in 2003 the count showed 126.
These numbers do not reflect what street outreach workers call couch surfers, or youth who move from friend's couch to friend's couch every few nights or weeks. It also does not show cases where an 18-year-old person rents an apartment and then allows younger homeless youth, who are not legally able to sign leases, to move in.
Regardless of the reason for homelessness or how an individual copes with it, the Street Outreach Program works to help them.
"What we try to do is help them access the resources that are available, get jobs, find appropriate shelter, get into schools," said Dunwiddie-Kiss. "We try to help them navigate the way through the system."
The informal but ever-present youth grapevine has been an excellent source of referrals to the Street Outreach Program. As the outreach workers have become known in the community by visiting schools, both regular and alternative, visiting youth hang outs and hosting teen activities, the word gets around that they can help.
"We help facilitate a network of support among youth," said Dunwiddie-Kiss. "Peer outreach workers work as peer mentors in hopes that youth will come to them because it is easier for a youth to talk to them than to an agency or adult."