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“If I can graduate, I will be really glad.”
Sierra’s experience mirrors that of many other houseless youth.
Sierra is 18. She’s a senior in high school. And she’s houseless.
Like so many other houseless youth, she did not leave home by choice.
Life at home was admittedly difficult. “My family lived through domestic violence. My brother and sister coped by picking a lot of fights.” The stressful family dynamic made it difficult for Sierra to focus on her own well-being. She had been sexually abused as an 8th and 9th grader.
“My mental health has suffered,” she acknowledges. “When I told my family about the abuse, they didn’t believe me, which made me feel so much worse.” While the abuse has left her vulnerable to bouts of depression, her inner strength is also apparent. She speaks proudly about being able to get a restraining order against her abuser (“a bit of sweet justice”). She’s also careful. Because her abuser still lives in the area, she opted not to be photographed.
Her mother kicked her out this past summer, after Sierra and her sister got into an argument. “I just got tired of being provoked all the time and decided to stand up for myself,” she explained. Sierra was able to stay with friends for a few days, and then found a spot at the LOFT, a shelter for homeless youth run by J Bar J’s Cascade Youth and Family Services.
She feels the pressure to serve as a role model to the other LOFT residents and stay out of trouble. If she misses appointments or skips class, there are consequences. Her program is focused on graduation from high school, going to weekly counseling and finding work. Therapy has helped Sierra better understand how her past trauma affects her interactions with other kids at the LOFT. “I try to steer clear of stressful situations, because my past trauma tends to throw me into fight or flight mode.”
“I try to steer clear of stressful situations, because my past trauma tends to throw me into fight or flight mode.”
One of the LOFT advocates helped Sierra go through the process to qualify for a housing voucher. Now it’s just a matter of being patient. “I’m on the waitlist for an apartment, but the list is long, so it’s going to be a few months,” she says. In the meantime, she’s keeping her head down and finishing her last few months of high school. “If I can graduate, I will be really glad.”