Life is Heartbreaking for Kids in Poverty
Spend a day with the impoverished and homeless children who occupy Kansas City’s roughest neighborhoods, and your heart will break in two. Their world is often chaotic and dangerous, and sexual abuse, violence and exposure to substance addiction are commonplace. Kids whose families are homeless often bounce between relatives or stay in cheap hotels until the money runs out. Then, they live in their car, abandoned buildings or on the streets. Very little attention is paid to their needs, says Diana Bunch, director of family ministries for City Union Mission. “Mom is in a desperate situation, worried about money, housing and transportation,” she explains. “So the child is at the bottom of the list.”
When homeless kids are able to attend school, they are often crushed by failure. They are usually two and a half years behind their peers in school and are usually spurned by other children, Diana says, robbing them of self-confidence.
Life isn’t much better for kids who aren’t homeless, but who live in the urban core. To save money, many families often pack into one housing unit, where they may not have heat or water, or adequate food and clothing.
Life in these homes can be just as dangerous as life on the streets. Children are often assaulted by older children or predatory adults in the home, exposed to illegal drugs and prostitution, and threatened by gang violence. Many are neglected by absent or irresponsible parents, and go without bathing or eating.
“There is a lot of stress in everything they do, so they have to put up walls to protect themselves from everyone – their peers, their families,” explains Travis Bradburn, camp specialist for City Union Mission.
At City Union Mission, however, young people discover a safe oasis and a new way of living. To read more about this refreshing oasis, please click here.
