As they were denied from shelter to shelter in hopes of finding a temporary bed for Sean Carnahan, the family that had generously taken him, had no choice but to tear up.
The anonymous family that Carnahan was staying with had to move into a smaller house and it wasn’t an option to take him along.
“It was surprising to me that all these programs that exist couldn’t help me, but regular families could.” Carnahan said. They tried the Buchanan Youth Shelter which had a waiting list of 10, and other shelters around the Des Moines area that also had to turn people away.
Drake University’s Reggie’s Sleepout is held annually as a fundraising event for Iowa Homeless Youth Center and Shelter Services. The event’s mission is to raise awareness and money to address the critical problem of youth homelessness in central Iowa.
The event is in honor of Reggie Kelsey who aged out of foster care and three and a half years later was found dead in the Des Moines River.
The event consists of an overnight camp out on Drake’s football field where groups participate in numerous activities throughout the night such as a box contest, Reggie’s Got Talent, and Texas Hold Em’.
Individuals bring donations they have received from raising awareness of homeless youth.
Currently at Hoover, there are approximately 10 students that are considered homeless. Hoover has programs to provide services for students like Carnahan.
Jeni Courtney is the Success Case Manager at Hoover. As a success manager, her job mainly consists of a monthly list of drop-out students that she has to convince to come back to school and graduate.
Other aspects of her job include counseling students through hardships like homelessness, pregnancy, and relationship issues.
The first thing Courtney asked me when I walked into her cozy, closet-sized office was if I knew the true definition of homeless.
“Being homeless isn’t just living under a bridge in a cardboard box. It’s anywhere from living in a motel, to families moving in with another family because of losing a home,” Courtney said.
“When a student comes to me with an issue at home to the point that it’s not safe for them to stay there, it is my job to report it and make sure that the student has transportation to and from school along with free lunches,” Courtney said.
In Carnahan’s case, he feels he is not able to stay at home because of an unstable relationship with his parents.
“My parents and I didn’t see eye-to-eye, we always got into big arguments. They basically told me to kick rocks so I called a friend (and asked) to stay with them.” Carnahan said.
This incident happened this past September and Carnahan has already hopped between four homes.
“After graduation, I’d like to do some military stuff. I want to give back before I take more,” Carnahan said.
“In the end, it will all work out,” Carnahan said.