Predators – What are you searching for?

The Net is Tracking YOU! 

When people search for information on the net, the net keeps track.  

When someone searches for “homeless youth” or ”homeless veterans” and clicks on my site, my site shows that a search engine sent them here and what words they used to find me.  It doen’t tell me who you are (although I know the host/search engine does), but only that x number of people found this site by searching for homeless youth and y number were searching for homeless veterans.  I’m glad you did and found me here!   That is why I’m providing all this information.   I have a heart for homeless and a loathing for predators.

Today I looked at my blog stats and was shocked to see that 4 (so far) found me today by searching on “little girl sex”, 2 for “children sex”  and two more by “boys and girls sex”!

Over the past week, there have been 21 hits on sex and children somehow.  I’ve looked at my tags and not one of those words are in my tags and none of those words are strung together in the text of any of my posts (except for this one).  I won’t use them in my tags.   What is going on?  If the site gave me their ids I would send them to the FBI.   I don’t need them here. 

This site is about homeless youth and about homeless veterans with a few side issues, like Habitat for Humanity and 2-1-1 calling.  The search engine tags are there to help me find out what really interests my readers.   But a very small number  of my readers are a bit scary as to what they are looking for.

If you are  a sexual predator looking for boys and girls to exploit, know that I think you are the scum of the earth!

If you are an agent looking for sites that use those words, I’m glad you are out there.  Maybe you should set up a few sites of your own, ’though I’m sure you have done so already.   Catch a few for me, OK?   Maybe what is happening is the predators are avoiding sites that are advertising openly, so you might try toning a few down a bit.  They seem to be pretty persistant.

Predators, get some help.  

Everybody else welcome!

To find all homeless veteran articles  This is a continuing series of 31 articles (so far) on the plight of homeless veterans in a country that embraces them while in service, risking their lives for our safety, but who are ignored after they leave the service. 

To find all homeless youth articles  These are informative and enlightening articles on homeless youth.  This continuing series of 18 articles (so far) is just a beginning, a start.

To find all Habitat for Humanity articles  See how to build a 3 bedroom home with central heat and air, fully equipped kitchen, two baths and utility on a landscaped lot in a nice neighborhood for $55,000 and get a zero interest long term fixed loan.

To find All sexual predator Articles  Find who is a predator in your neighborhood here!  Find out why predators have to live under a bridge in Florida.  Too good for them.

All Predators click here   Caution – do not click on this link if you are not a sexual predator.   This is an adult site for predators only.

Watch this space for future articles on homeless families and on the chronically homeless.

Oldtimer

National Stats for Runaway Youth

The National Runaway Switchboard provides education and solution-focused interventions, offers non-sectarian, non-judgmental support, respects confidentiality, collaborates with volunteers, and responds to at-risk youth and their families 24 hours a day.    Call 1-800-RUNAWAY
National Runaway Switchboard http://www.nrscrisisline.org/(Statistics reflect only actual crisis calls – nationwide)
Adult calls ….. 1038
Youth calls …..15126
Total calls ….. 16164Youth Status at Time of Call

Contemplating running away…..12%
Youth in crisis ………………..32%
*Runaway ………………..48%
*Throwaway ………………..4%
*Homeless ………………..4%
**Youth on the street ….. 56%

Reported Age Of Caller

under 12 …..1%
12 ………. 2%
13 ………. 6%
14 ………. 9%
15 ………. 15%
16 ……….21%
17 ……….23%
18 ……….10%
19 ……….. 6%
20 ……….. 4%
21 ………. 3%
Youth previously run (yes) …. . 32%
youth previously run (no) ………. 44%
unknown ………………………………..24%

Problems Identified by Callers

Family Dynamics ..29%
Peer/Social ……………… 14%
School/Education ……..10%
Mental Health …………. .. 9%
Physical Abuse ……… … 6%
Youth Services ……….. . . 5%
Alcohol/Drug Use …… …5%
Economics ……………….. 4%
Emotional/Verbal Abuse 4%
Judicial System ………….3%
Transportation ……………….3%
Health ………………………… 3%
Sexual Abuse/Assault …..2%
Neglect ……………………………2%
GLBTQ …………………………..1%

Whereabouts of Youth Who is the Subject

Home ………………….29%
Unknown to Caller ….. 23%
Friend ……………………..17%
Relative ……………………..6%
Street/Pay Phone ………6%
Shelter ……………………..3%
Other …………………………3%
Unknown to Liner ……..3%
Greyhound ………………..2%
Recent Acquaintance …2%
Police/Detention …………2%
School ………………………..2%
Work ……………………………1%
Pimp/Dealer ………………..1%

(Example) Calls from Georgia, local area codes follow
Area ………….calls
Code
404 GA ….. 1053 calls in 2006
678 GA ……..320
770 GA ……. 578

Click for All Homeless Youth Articles 

Common Myths About Youth Homelessness

Myth: IT’S FUN. Youth on the street may say it is completely their choice to be homeless. They may say they just want to hang with their friends. This is a good way to maintain dignity or avoid talking about personal issues. When trust is built with someone who is really able to provide help, the stories of sexual abuse, abandonment, and other trauma invariably come out. Life on the streets is anything but fun. It is a constant looking over your shoulder, guarding all your belongings from theft, looking for food, dry clothing and shelter, and continually feeling insults and nasty looks from passers by.

Myth: MOST ARE RUNAWAYS Many youth run away from home, and many runaway reports are filed with the police. Few of those runaways stay out for more than one or two nights and fewer still become homeless. Only 2-8% of youth served in homeless youth shelters have a runaway report filed on them.

Myth: YOUTH DON’T WANT SERVICES. Most youth do want help.  They want to have a normal life, go to school, start a career, develop relationships.  They just don’t know how with the limited resources available to them.  Many services are difficult or impossible to access without a parent’s signature, proper identification, medical insurance, etc. Others have long waiting lists.

Waiting lists are difficult to use when the youth are moving around each night. Many homeless youth are distrustful of adults and social services.  As much as they want a better life, they may be afraid to engage in services or cynical about the likelihood of getting real help. They have been let down a lot. But if trust can be slowly built, most do engage in services when they are available, and often do very well.

The above items were found on the Seattle Human Services Website.

Oldtimer’s Comment:  Click for all Homeless Youth articles

The Top 10 Reasons Why Kids Have Run Away

This list was prepared by Dominic Mapstone, founder of Rebecca’s Community, which provides shelter and services for homeless and runaway youth in Sydney Austrailia.    He also founded the International Homeless Forum.The Rebecca’s Community Website is hereYou can find this list here:You can find the homeless forum here: (Dominic’s audience is kids who come to Rebecca’s Community website  for information)
The Top 10 reasons why other kids have run away are:

1. Kicked out – Mostly the reason why kids leave home isn’t because they ‘runaway,’ it is because they get kicked out.
2. Sexual Abuse – someone in your house is made to do sexual things, maybe you.
3. Violence – someone in your house gets hurt a lot, maybe you.
4. Alcohol or Drugs - someone in your house drinks alcohol lots or uses drugs to get high.
5. Verbal Abuse – people yell or scream at you all the time.
6. Neglect – you don’t get basic stuff other kids do, like food or it may be as if you aren’t even there and no one cares about you.
7. Crime – someone in your house does crime like stealing from people or beating them up.
8. Stress – someone is always on your case putting pressure on you to do something all the time like cleaning up or doing your homework.
9. School – you get bullied at school and can’t put up with it anymore or you get in really big trouble at school and just can’t go home because of what might happen when your parents find out.
10. Someone is Gone – this could be because they died, or your parents get divorced or separated. It also could be an older brother or sister moved out of home.

If you know of an at-risk kid or a runaway kid, try to point him/her to the Rebecca’s Community website (link above) or the Runaway Switchboard or call the switchboard at 1 800 RUNAWAY.  (Rebecca’s Community and Runaway Switchboard are unrelated organizaitons).

Oldtimer’s comment:  Click for All the Homeless Youth articles

Homelessness Among Children and Youth – Basic Facts

Did you know that children make up 39% of the homeless population and 42% of these children are under 5 years of age?   (Note the baby activity center in the homeless camp picture ).  Children under about 12-14 are most often part of a homeless family, usually with only one parent present.   There have been instances of children as young as 9 living on the streets without any relative present, but thankfully,  below about 13, it is rare.  

According to state departments of education across the country, 35% of homeless children lived in shelters, 34% were in group situations with family or friends, and 23% were in motels or other places in 2000. 

Homeless children and youth face a number of problems.  These include developmental problems, abuse and neglect, lack of effective education,  among others.     The National Law Center created a report in June 2006 summarizing basic facts about our homeless youngsters.  

The data mentioned here can be found in its entirity here (5 pages plus 4 pages of citations): 

Developmental Problems

Lack of a stable living situation can be mentally and physically harmful to children and youth.

Homeless infants are four times more likely to require special care at birth than other infants.   Toddlers who are homeless usually develop at a slower pace than those who have stable homes.   Homeless children are twice as likely to have a learning disability and are three times more likely than other children to have emotional or behavioral problems

33% of runaway youth state it was because of sexual abuse, while 50% report it was due to physical abuse.   Sheltered homeless children have twice as many ear infections, five times more gastrointestinal problems, six times as many speech problems, and four times as many have asthma.  

 Abuse and Neglect

25% of the adult homeless population report having experienced physical and/or sexual abuse as a child by someone with whom they lived.   Homeless children are physically abused at twice the rate of other children.  

33% of the adult homeless population report running away from home as children and  27% report living in foster care or in a group home.    22% of the homeless population report being forced to leave home.

21% of the adult homeless population experience homelessness during childhood.  Homeless children are three times as likely to have been sexually abused as other children.

Lack of Education Perpetuates Homelessness

38% of adult homeless individuals do not have a high school degree by age 18 and 53% report having dropped out of either elementary, middle, or high school for an indefinite period of time.   18% of the homeless population say they were expelled from school and only 62% of the homeless population have a high school diploma.

Homeless Youth – Some Random Facts That May Scare You

Some random facts that may scare you:

Estimates are that one in seven youths will leave home by the age of 18 (National Runaway Switchboard, 2001).

 “Every year, assault, illness, and suicide claim the lives of approximately 5,000 runaway and homeless youth” (The National Runaway Switchboard, 2001, p. 2). 

 Young people on the streets find it very difficult to meet their basic needs, so they may also resort to survival sex to provide for themselves. 

 According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, more than half of all runaways are girls (Hammer, et al., 2002).

The National Network for Youth (2003) reports that most homeless youth living on the streets are boys. Boys are more likely to be kicked out and girls more likely to run away, possibly because boys are more likely to engage in deviant behaviors that cause parents to kick them out and girls are more likely to experience sexual abuse that prompts them to run away.

The same abuse continues on the streets as girls are more likely to be raped and boys are more likely to be physically assaulted (Cauce, et al., 2000; MacLean, Embry,& Cauce, 1999).

Ensign and Bell (2004) found the average length of homelessness differed significantly according to whether the youth lived in a shelter or on the streets. For those living in shelters, the average length of homelessness was four months (range one to nine months), but the average length for those on the streets was three years (range one month to eight years).

One in eight youth under 18 will leave home and become a street person in need of services (Raleigh-DuRoff, 2004), and 40 percent do not return home

Do you have children or grandchildren or neighbors with children at risk?   Do something about it before it is too late.  Get help now.

I hope the picture above makes you want to cry.  

Oldtimer’s comment:  Click for All the Homeless Youth articles