The Silent Struggle of Marin Teens:

Graduate Recounts Difficult Past Without a Home

Investigative

By Rebecca Wynd
Published: February 12, 2010   

Kaila McDonald was only 16 years old the day she ran away from home. Two years later, she was working sixty to eighty hours a week, and living out of her car.

McDonald, a Redwood graduate, was robbed of a typical childhood, growing up in a home surrounded by sex, drugs and violence. By January 2008 she had put up with enough, and made one of the most monumental decisions of her life.

“I just couldn’t take it and I needed to run away. I knew that if I never got out, I would never be able to make it, and it was time that I took the initiative,” she said.  “At first I was really scared and I regretted it, but then I realized I had made the right choice because I ended up in a situation where I was able to get resources and help.”

McDonald’s story is just one of hundreds of homeless teens living in the Bay Area, although the majority of this population is hidden from the public eye....

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By Michael Weinstein and Rebecca Wynd
Published: February 12, 2010   

Although Marin may be known for its affluent and comfortable lifestyle, over a thousand teenagers do not have a permanent home to sleep in each night.

Unlike the adult homeless population, which is more visible to the public, most of these teens are hidden from sight, forced to sleep in friends’ houses, cars and abandoned buildings.

Zara Babitzke is the founding director of the Ambassadors of Hope Organization (AHO), which specifically helps homeless young people aged 16-25 in Marin.  www.ahoproject.org

“The issue we’re addressing is still under the radar,” said Babitzke, who was once homeless herself. “There is not a lot of willingness or openness to understand this issue for young people who don’t have families.”

According to the Marin County Office of Education, there are 1,519 homeless youth in Marin. Of this population, 1,093 are enrolled in school. The majority are staying with another family, though many live in shelters and transitional housing awaiting foster care.  There are many more homeless youth older than age 18, not counted in these MOE numbers.  Youth represent an estimated 40% (1,900) of the total homeless population in Marin.

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