The Times (Oregon) June 24, 2010

HEADLINE: Beaverton has third highest count of homeless youth in Oregon

By Kristen Forbes

We are advocates for homeless students in the Beaverton School District," Lisa Mentessana says of being a homeless liaison alongside Mary Metheny at the Beaverton Family Resource Center. "Our primary role is to ensure that there aren't any barriers to their education. When students come to us in a homeless situation from another area or district, we ensure that they have immediate enrollment in the school closest to where they're currently living. If they're homeless and live within our community, we ensure they can stay within their school of origin."

"Everything we do is prescribed by a law, federal policy," says Metheny. "Every district in the country has to have someone appointed to ensure that these kids' rights are respected."

In addition to enrollment in school, the educational rights of homeless youth include transportation to and from school, necessary school services, free meals and equal access to free public education and all educational programs and services.

In the Beaverton School District, the definition of homelessness includes any child or youth living in shared housing with friends or families due to economic hardship, temporary foster care, motels or hotels, campgrounds, inadequate trailer homes, substandard housing, cars, abandoned buildings, parks, streets, public spaces, shelters (including shelters for emergencies, domestic violence, youth and transitional housing), and unaccompanied youth without parents or guardians.

"Each year, our numbers have increased," says Mentessana, who notes this program has been in existence for eight years. The number of homeless youth in the area could fill a high school: As of this June interview, 1,602 were counted for the year. In the 2008-'09 school year, Beaverton had the third highest count of homeless students in the state of Oregon.

"Our biggest challenge is the scope in which we can help," says Metheny. "We're not able to help families find affordable housing or help families with their rent, and those are the kinds of issues that come to us. We're restricted to helping with school-related issues."

Part of this challenge is assuaged by the number of organizations who partner with the district and provide additional resources, including nonprofit groups, churches, and community businesses who recognize the growing need of homeless youth in our community.

"We're educational advocates," says Mentessana. "Above and beyond that, our administrator Carl Mead has coined us as being professional resource brokers. Everything we do, we work with the community to do."

At the Beaverton Family Resource Center, the liaisons accept donations of canned food, hygiene products, shoes, office supplies, laundry detergent, coins (which are helpful for laundry), diapers and other items for emergency packs. Homeless education assistance is one component of the resource center, which also provides information about counseling services, child care, legal help, clothing, food, medical and dental care, pregnancy resources, shelters and housing, Work Source Oregon, parenting classes, mentoring and volunteer opportunities, computer access and more. This will be the first summer the office is open year-round and the liaisons hope the students and community will take advantage of this.

"Just because a break in the school year comes, that doesn't mean their homelessness changes," notes Metheny.

Mentessana hopes that in addition to becoming more aware of the resource center, the community will also become more aware of the other organizations working to meet the needs of homelessness. The Storehouse, a partner ministry with Cavalry Chapel on 12625 S.W. Broadway, Suite 100, in Beaverton, accepts donations of much-needed items for families in the community (call 503-644-0869).

Love INC, or Love in the Name of Christ, has an intake line for goods and services to help the community (see www.loveincbeaverton.org or call 503-336-5946).

Boys & Girls Aid Transitional Living Program provides housing and transitional living support for up to two years to young people in Washington County who are or may be at risk of experiencing homelessness (call 503-542-2350 for information and referrals for ages 16 to 18 or 503-542-2371 for ages 19 to 23).

HomePlate is a drop-in facility located at 494 East Main St. in Hillsboro for young people to get a hot meal, a shower, watch a movie, find out about resources, or just hang out (call Bridget Daniel at 503-867-7762 or email bridgethomeplateyouth.com).

These are some of the many resources available to the growing number of homeless youth in the area.

Though it's a challenging job to be a homeless liaison, Mentessana says the rewards are immeasurable.

"The unaccompanied high school-aged youth are just heroes," she says. "They're staying in school. They know that education is a way out of poverty for them. I've had kids on our case load that have been homeless since they're 15 years old. They move every couple of weeks.

"One of the kids I work with has never been in one place more than two months and he's graduating from high school this year," adds Mentassana. "He's been homeless since he was 15, so that's pretty amazing. That shows resilience and awesome survival skills."