Gabriella was 17 years old when I met her. She was a teen mom, and was struggling everyday. She came into my life not by her free will- she was court ordered to the residential program I worked for. During the time I worked with her, she shared her story- one full of pain and heartache. Her father was absent. Her mother was an alcoholic. Her son was born with significant delays, most likely due to Gabriella’s substance use when pregnant. She had lived on and worked the streets. Before she ended up in jail, she was homeless. But she was one of the hidden homeless… she wasn’t standing on the street corner with a sign, she wasn’t lined up the homeless shelter.
(#2 in a series about homelessness in preparation for Night In A Box)
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