Teenage homelessness a big problem in Las Vegas

he existing problem of homeless people wandering the streets of Las Vegas has become extremely concerning. The January 2017 homeless census estimates that there are about 6,490 people in a shelter or roaming the streets in the valley.

What’s even more concerning is the number of homeless teens on the street. A whopping 20 percent out of all homeless people are teenagers. These teens are kicked out of the house or left out for a multitude of reasons, ranging from horrible personal decision-making to abusive parenting. Reaching out to these troubled individuals would both help stop this problem at the source and teach us more about their circumstances and how to help them.

Giving these people a chance at a new life and teaching these kids skills can rehabilitate them back into society and can change their whole perspective on living. Creating a better living environment and assisting with their education could help them get a job.

The Shannon West Youth Center is a great example of this, offering housing and addiction/behavioral services in an effort to get these kids the help they need. Not only that, but there are career coaching and classes on financial management. A class on parenting would be a good addition to these courses, considering pregnancy is one of the main reasons teens get kicked out of the house.

These lessons can help drive these kids to become better and transition into society where they can become prime examples of the American ideology of rising from nothing and becoming something great.