Invisible Young
coming soon!
"Invisible Young" is an award-winning documentary film that examines the lives of four homeless teenagers in Seattle Washington. It takes a revealing look at their families, their day-to-day lives, their likely fates, and explores what options they have for a hopeful, prosperous future.
www.invisibleyoung.com
Meet Evan. Evan has a mother, father and brother who all live together in a decent house in the suburbs. Evan is homeless. Evan has been living on the streets for 2 years. Evan is 16.
Evan was raised in a seemingly normal family, in an ordinary neighborhood of single family homes just outside an urban center. Evan's father earned a modest, working-class living until he was laid off a few years back. Evan's father had always been partial to alcohol, and a short time after loosing his job his addiction consumed him. Soon, he could no longer hold a job, so Evan's mother became the breadwinner. During this time Evan's father developed into a pressure cooker of intense rage. Evan watched as his father beat his older brother on a regular basis. He was abusive to Evan as well - hardly a day went by without hearing that he was, "a useless piece of s--t!" and a "f-ing faggot!" Soon Evan’s abuse turned physical. Evan finally had enough and left home at 14.
Evan found life in the streets was tolerable compared to where he had been. He found comfort in drugs. He stole things. He sold sexual favors for money. He spent his nights on sidewalks, alleys, abandoned buildings and seedy motels. He had a circle of friends - other homeless teens - who understood him. Life was good.
Now, Evan has just been arrested for the third time. His parents are called down to the police station. After a short discussion with the police, they are asked if they wish to terminate their parental rights. With Evan sitting right there, his father says, "You can have him."
Seattle Washington is a wealthy city. Home to successful companies such as Microsoft and Boeing, Seattle has enjoyed relative prosperity over the last several decades, more than most US cities. Yet sadly, each night approximately 1000 teenage children and young adults sleep on the streets of Seattle, with no place to call home.
Who are these kids? Drug addicts? Hooligans? Delinquents? Dropouts? Prostitutes? These are the words that come to mind for most when the phrase "homeless teenager" is mentioned. The implication, and gross misconception, is that either these children are on the streets by choice, or that they somehow deserve this fate. Alone and on their own, some as young as twelve, the reality is that many, if not most, of these kids have been abandoned by their parents, tossed out like and old mattress.
Many of these kids come from a home where they suffered repeated abuse. Often, the parents of these children have severe problems with drugs and/or alcohol. Many of the kids come from broken families. Chronic unemployment is common in these households (naturally the harsh realities of the great recession are only exacerbating this problem). Whatever their particular personal and family pathology, they end up on the streets because living at home becomes intolerable. And once they are on the streets their prospects for a prosperous, productive future diminish rapidly. Once homelessness sets in, their future is cast in stone... almost.
The Foster Care system works for a few, but the reality is that in most cases it just delays the onset of homelessness. Many children make it through the system unadopted, and once the kids turn 18 the Foster system drops them like lead.
Fortunately, there are organizations in many urban centers that offer help and services to homeless youth. While most of these organizations have been stretched thin by the effects of the recession and rapidly shrinking state and local budgets, they still offer the best chance for redemption. These programs can offer a range of services including meals, housing, education, counseling, life-skills and job training. But shrinking budgets have meant cutbacks in services, at a time when the number of kids needing help is growing.
Despite the rise of the indie filmmaker, and the abundance of social commentary films made in the last few decades, a few films have been made tackling this subject (one such film can be seen on Youtube). It is a subject that is inherently difficult to tackle on film. And there are no easy answers. The roots of the problem lie in much larger issues around dysfunction in the family unit. But there is some hope for kids that end up on the streets (in the form of non-profit organizations that offer help). This new, important film - which will raise awareness to this issue and dispel misconceptions (and thereby encourage compassion) - is a must see!
For more about this new documentary production, please visit the film’s website
www.invisibleyoung.com
©2010 Differential Films