BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Kern County faces a significant rise in homeless youth, with 600 unaccompanied students reported.
- Genessa Fisher, a former homeless youth, highlights the impact of family violence and mental health on homelessness.
- Rising housing costs and natural disasters contribute to the crisis, affecting 81% of students living with others.
- Advocates stress the need for affordable housing and safe shelters to support vulnerable youth.
- Resources like 211 are available for youth experiencing homelessness to seek help.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Numbers rise in homeless youth in Kern County. Statewide and in California, students experience a record number of homelessness, but here in Kern County, our youth are hit the hardest.
Genessa Fisher explains ways youth in Kern County community have ended up homeless.
Working with The Bakersfield Dream Center for 2 years, Fisher is a advocate for homeless youth, as she lived with her family homeless at the age of 16.
"We were living in a church van for a really long time and I knew immediately the differences in my education, in my life, in my social life as a youth."
With rising rent and an escalating housing market, her primary concern for the needs of young people is securing funding for affordable housing and investing in youth shelters.
"We love our shelters here in Bakersfield, we're so grateful for them, but a lot of our youth don't feel safe at them."
According to the California Department of Education, as of June 3rd, Kern County has reached its highest number of unaccompanied homeless youth statewide, totaling 600.
This represents a staggering 87% of students lacking a stable home or having lost their housing.
Curt Williams, the Housing Director of Homeless and Foster Youth Services for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, attributes this crisis in part to the natural disasters that have affected the region.
"You may also see it during natural disasters like last year we had the Borel fire which displaced a lot of people and lost their housing."
Kern County has a student population of 206,961, with 81% of them living with others,
7% residing in temporary shelters,
9% staying in hotels or motels, and
2% being unsheltered.
Fisher, who became homeless once more as a college student and mother of two, represents the challenges many face in this situation.
"Scared of who's going to come in, who's going to take my stuff, living on the streets, it's vulnerable, that backpack if somebody were to have taken it that's my life."
As Fisher would use her backpack as a lifeline, now at the age of 23 she has a place she can call home as where she lives brings her special meaning.
"Sometimes it feels like it's not mine, but it could be me reacting to something I never had before and I'm so excited to decorate my son's room and for him to have his own room and not have to share the bed with me because it's unsafe."
If you or someone you love is a youth experiencing being homeless, you can call 211 for support and more information.
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