Made me cry

Re: “Saving Lives: Urban Street Angels offer lifelines to homeless youth” by editor Ken Williams, Vol. 8, Issue 26 or at bit.ly/2hMC93N.

Just a note to thank you, Mr. Williams, for the very informative Uptown News — and especially for the article about the Urban Street Angels on the front cover.

The article was a heart-breaker — describing the lives of some of the homeless young people in our midst. Many of us who come from deeply dysfunctional backgrounds can get bogged down in our own story — far too often — even decades after the fact. But your story relating the love and hard work done by Jerry Troyer and Eric Lovett was so inspiring! By the end, when Mr. Lovett was told “I love you” by the young man he had helped so much — I was in tears.

Let’s all continue to “do what we can, in our little corner of the cosmos,” as my favorite Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh has said.

—Phyllis Hardin of Normal Heights via mail 

This is our issue

In America, up to 1.6 million youth experience homelessness each year. The statistics for LGBT homeless youth are even more shocking, as this group represents up to 40 percent all young people experiencing homelessness. Considering that LGBT youth represent an estimated 7 percent of the total youth population, these numbers are disproportionately high. While even a single young person without a home is one too many, the disparity of LGBT youth experiencing homelessness is unfathomable.

Once they are out of their homes, LGBT youth are even more vulnerable. They are at a greater risk for victimization, unsafe sexual practices, and mental health issues than non-LGBT young people experiencing homelessness.

—Clarence Bills via our website, sduptownnews.com