Homeless Children of Elkton, Maryland

The homeless of Elkton, MD blog is moving right along. Today’s spotlight is on homeless families. I cannot post photos of any of the homeless families because I do not have any and it would be detrimental to their progress. There is no need for that, but everyone should know that there are children out there too.

There is one little girl in particular that can put a smile on anyone’s face within seconds of meeting her. She turned one-year-old recently and her parents are doing a very good job of raising her. The problem is that the father lost his job and as a result, they lost their home. The father is currently working. He sleeps in the car and the mother and child sleep in a rented room that is not big enough for the three of them.

It is hard to describe the baby because she is one of the most beautiful kids I have ever seen. She always has a smile on her face and she gets around pretty good. She has big, bright blue eyes and blonde hair. Her hair is most often pulled up in Pebbles Flintstone style. Just look up Cindy Loo Who on the internet and you will have a good idea what the baby looks like. I have seen this child put a smile on some of the most hardcore homeless out there. But, she is homeless. She doesn’t have a room to herself. She doesn’t have her father living with her although her mother and father are still a couple. She doesn’t have the advantages that most little girls her age have, but she does have a lot of love coming her way. I talk about her so much because she tugs at my heart strings and to see her and her parents cope with this is heartbreaking.

There are other children out there. Many parents keep the information to themselves and park tents in places away from the rest of the homeless. There are obvious reasons for that, but all the children are well taken care of by their parents. The parents work or are looking for work. These are not drug addicts. They are just people down on their luck and they need a boost to get them off the streets. If anyone should get off the streets first, it should be these children. Do I have the answer? No, I certainly don’t. I think there are answers though. The answers lie within everyone in the community who could help bring these families off the streets before the holidays. A job offer for people who have not been able to find work.  A landlord who is willing to go lower on the rent to help truly good families who need help. A business who will donate household goods to help them get started. There has to be an answer for these families, not just the stock “you are on the list” answer.

No little girl or little boy should have to spend their childhood in a tent. There are good lessons to learn from it and at the start, it can be more like an adventure, but it is not a good way to live when the kids have to be fresh and ready for school. It is not good when the children cannot interact with other children except at school because they don’t have any neighborhood kids to play with.

In any case, this is a call to action for the people of Elkton. If you are in the position to help any of these families, contact someone at the Paris Foundation or the Mary Randall Center. They know what homeless people have children and can help bridge the gap. Does anyone have the heart to help these families get off the streets?