Nonfiction

I WAS

HOMELESS

At least 1.3 million

homeless children live
in the United States.
Kevin Liu was one of them.

By Kristin Lewis | Research contributed by Jane Bianchi

Scholastic Scope NOVEMBER 2013

NARR
ATiVE
NONFICTIO
Reads
N
like

but its fiction

all tru
e

here do
you live?
What challenges do the
This is the
homeless face?
question
that filled 11-year-old Kevin Liu with dread. How
could he answer? Sometimes he would change the
subject. Other times he would give a vague reply.
A few times he flat-out lied. But he never, ever told
his friends the full truth: He didnt have a home.
AS YOU READ,
THINK ABOUT:

the way you imagine. They are not

unwashed or wearing worn-out
clothing or standing on the side of
the road with a cardboard sign. In
fact, you may see a homeless
person every day and have no idea.
The majority of homeless people
look just like you.
Many paths can lead to
homelessness: unemployment,
mental illness, an unexpected
sickness. These are problems
almost anyone can relate to. Do

Until fifth grade, Kevin lived

with his parents and his younger

the familys belongings still inside.

Legally, landlords cant just kick

How about someone who got sick

brother, Ka-ren, in Chinatown, a

people out of their homes. A

and had an expensive hospital

bustling neighborhood in

landlord must first go to court,

stay? Hopefully, the people you

downtown New York City famous

where a judge decides if eviction is

know had someone they could turn

for its vibrant Chinese culture,

allowed. Whats more, landlords

to when they needed help, such as

hopping markets, and delicious

are required to give renters a

a friend or relative.

restaurants. Kevins parents ran a

reasonable amount of time to

successful shop that sold groceries

move. But Kevins parents spoke

does not have that support

and candies and had arcade games

little English, and they did not

structure? One crisis can quickly

for kids. Kevin and Ka-ren helped

know their rights. The idea of

spiral out of control, causing that

out, working the cash register and

taking their landlord to court

person to fall behind on housing

making change for customers. The

seemed daunting and expensive.

payments or become unable to pay

family rented a modest studio

And so in one devastating day, they

at all. For Kevins parents, the crisis

apartment above the store.

lost their home and their business.

was getting unfairly evicted. They

They had no money, no jobs,

didnt have enough money to rent

At the time, Kevin didnt think of

himself as happy or comfortable.

But what happens if someone

and nowhere to go.

a new apartment in New York City,

where renters are generally

Life just seemed normal.

Then, just before Kevin started
sixth grade, everything changed.
One day, the landlord told
Tim Soter Photography

you know someone who lost a job?

Homelessness in America
In the United States, more than
630,000 people are homeless on

required to make a large

paymentusually thousands of
dollarsbefore they can move in.

Kevins family they had to leave

any given dayand those are just

Experiencing a crisis is just one

immediately. The building was

the ones we know about. Experts

part of the picture of homelessness.

being renovated, and they had to

say that there are likely millions

Ultimately, the number one cause

go. Locks were placed on the

more. Most of these men, women,

of homelessness is a lack of

familys shop and apartment, with

and children probably dont look

affordable housingthat is,

www.Scholastic.com/Scope NOVEMBER 2013

apartments that
middle- and lower-

ESSAY

Are We Doing Enough?

he Indian civil-rights leader Mahatma Gandhi once

said, The measure of a civilization is how it treats its
comfortably afford.
weakest members.
Over the past decade,
How do we in the United States measure up?
the cost of homes in
Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was widely
major American cities
believed that the poor had brought their misfortune upon
has skyrocketed. As a
themselves. When people lost their jobs or got sick, they had
result, the number of
to rely on their families to help them. If their families couldntor wouldnt
homeless families in
assist, these people often wound up on the streets.
big cities has risen
Attitudes and policies began to change after the Great Depression in the
drastically. Since 2002,
1930s. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty,
the number of
and the government created dozens of programs for Americans in need. These
homeless families in
programs, which are still in place today, range from school meals, which feed
New York has
millions of kids, to Medicare, which provides health care to senior citizens.
increased by 73
There are also hundreds of private organizations that rely on donations to help
percent, according to
the poor.
the Coalition for the
America has a far stronger safety net than many nations. But are we doing
Homeless. In
enough? Consider this: Of the richest 35 nations in the world, the U.S. has the
Washington, D.C., the
second-highest rate of child poverty (after Romania), and one in six Americans
number of homeless
lives in poverty. At the same time, there is growing debate about whether we
families has doubled
should cut back on
in the past five
Today, one in six
government programs
years.
Americans lives
for the poor. Some say
in poverty.
too many Americans
The Ordeal
rely on the government
Kevins family
for help. A lot of
eventually moved
assistance programs
into a shelter in
have already been
downtown
cut back.
Manhattan (and
What would Gandhi
were able to
say to this? And what
retrieve their
do you think?
income families can

belongings). They
received a tiny

room with bunk beds; the

and dehumanizing experience,

in shelters. Being homeless is

bathroom was shared with the

characterized by uncertainty and

particularly hard on kids. Studies

other families on their floor.

trauma. Homeless people must

show that homeless children are

struggle to survive with almost

under constant stress. They get sick

place to stay and free food to eat.

nothing. They tend to be

frequently, have a hard time in

But their ordeal was just beginning.

undernourished. And they are

school, and, like Kevin, tend to feel

frequent victims of robbery, even

a deep sense of shame and isolation

They were relieved to have a

Being homeless is a frightening

Scholastic Scope NOVEMBER 2013

Dinodia Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images (Top); I Love Images/Corbis (Bottom)

houses and

from their classmates. Life can be

for residents to cook their own

Kevin says. Hed say, Hey, Jackie

very lonely for kids in shelters.

meals. Food poisoning was a

Chan, or Hey, Jet Li. Wisely,

They cant simply invite their

constant worry. Kevins mom

Kevin chose to ignore him as best

friends over after school to play

would order inexpensive takeout

he could, focusing instead on the

video games or do homework.

whenever she coulduntil she got

day his family would get to leave.

Homelessness was certainly

a crockpot, which was technically

stressful for Kevin. His grades

Every time Kevin came to the

fear that his family would never

noisy, hot, and dirty. (With so

shelter after school, he had to go

again have a home of their own.

many people passing through,

past security guards. Even going to

even the most well-maintained

the bathroom was a horrifying

Many families in the shelter

shelters are difficult to keep clean.)

experience. There was no privacy.

system end up staying much

The food, Kevin says, was

The showers and toilet stalls were

longer than they intend. Its very

disgusting; there was no place

all in the same room. Often, Kevin

hard to get out of homelessness,

Homelessness in America
A Snapshot

20
out of every 10,000
people in the U.S.
are homeless.

243,627
homeless persons are
reported to be living on
the streets, in cars, or in
abandoned buildings.

www.istockphoto.com

turning to years, Kevin began to

against the rules.

began to drop. The shelter was

But as the months dragged on,

(The true number is impossible

to count; there are likely many,
many more.)

133

out of every 10,000

people in Washington,
D.C., are homeless.
Thats the highest rate of
homelessness in the U.S.

29

states reported
an increase
in homelessness
from 2011
to 2012.

Source: The State of Homelessness in America 2013

by The National Alliance to End Homelessness

Kevins family wasnt alone.

found excrement in

says Megan Hustings, a

the showers or

spokesperson for the National

smeared on the

Coalition for the Homeless.

walls.

Especially in the bigger cities,

Then some of

trying to save up for rent when

the kids began

youre working in a minimum

picking on him.

wage job is very difficult.

While he was in the

shower, they would
turn off the lights

Homeless, Not Hopeless

Across the U.S., many

or open the curtain.

communities do reach out to help

I can still hear

their most needy. Food drives and

them laughing in

clothing donations can make a big

my head, Kevin

difference. Several nonprofit

remembers. One

groups, like the international

boy in particular

charity Habitat for Humanity, build

tried to make

affordable housing, while other

Kevins life

groups, like the HOPE program in

miserable,

New York, help those in poverty

belittling Kevin

find better-paying jobs.

and even going so

It was through one of these

far as to demand

groups that Kevin found a glimmer

money from

of hope. In seventh grade, after he

Kevins mom.

had been living in the shelter for

Hed make fun

more than a year, Kevin started

of me because

going to an after-school program

there were only two

called Bound for Success. The

Asian families in

program was run by the

the whole shelter,

Coalition for the Homeless.

www.Scholastic.com/Scope NOVEMBER 2013

It was a quiet place where I

But he couldnt bring himself to

It would be years, though,

could do my homework or play

tell his school friends the truth. I

before Kevin let go of the shame

music or do arts and crafts, he

felt like I could never truly be

he felt during his time in the

says. It was an escape from all the

myself and open up to my friends

shelter. When he turned 17 this

craziness of being in a cramped

because I carried around this

past April, he decided to confide in

shelter with people I didnt know

secret, he says.

his friend Jason.

or like. The program, which serves

I thought, If he turns his back

A New Beginning

30 homeless children at a time,

offers free tutoring, field trips, and
above all, a safe place to hang out.

Just before Kevin started high

school, he finally got the news

on me, then he isnt a true friend,

Kevin explains.
It turns out that Jason was a

Thanks to the Coalition, Kevins

hed been so desperately waiting

true friend. He was shocked that

grades began to improve. He even

for. After three long and difficult

Kevin had carried around such a

made a few friends at the shelter.

years in the shelter, his family had

secret for so many years, but he

Kevin and his dad

in their new home

been given an

didnt treat Kevin any differently.

apartment through a

The conversation went so well

program that helps

that Kevin began telling more of

needy families with

his friends.

their rent.
When I found out

Today, Kevin is doing better

than ever. He is a senior in high

we were moving, I

school. His mom has a job as an

was so relieved and

aid in a school cafeteria (though

excited that I

his father is still looking for work).

practically jumped

Kevin dreams of going to college

up and down, Kevin

and becoming an actor. He spends

recalls. We have two

his free time volunteering at the

rooms now, one

after-school program that helped

bathroom that we

him so much when he was in

dont have to share

middle school.

with strangers, and

I want to help other kids who

our own kitchen, so

are going through the same thing

we can cook our own

as I did, Kevin explains.

food. Its so much

Sometimes Ill help them with

cleaner than the

their homework or play basketball

shelter, and its so

with them. I hope they look at me

nice to have privacy

and see how well Im doing now

again.

and think: I can do that too.

Think about the state of homelessness in America. What challenges do the homeless face? In what
ways does society help and how could we do more? Write two to three paragraphs answering these
questions. Use text evidence from I Was Homeless, the infographic, and the essay to
support your ideas. Send your response to HOMELESSNESS CONTEST. Five winners will
each receive a copy of Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake. See page 2 for details.
Get this
activity
Online

Scholastic Scope NOVEMBER 2013

Tim Soter Photography

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