"The ramifications for children, and for our community, can be searing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in 2010 backing up what many researchers had previously found: “Adverse childhood experiences ... have been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes in adulthood,” from substance abuse and depression to diabetes and cancer.
"Another federal report, in 2012 by the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, laid bare the threat: “The trauma children experience when they are exposed to physical, sexual and emotional violence harms their ability to mature cognitively and emotionally, and it scars them physically and emotionally well into their adult lives.”...
"Eric Howard sees the problems daily as CEO of Outreach, Inc., an Eastside nonprofit he founded in 1996 to address the devastating plight of homeless young people in the city. By the time teens and young adults arrive at his door, they have endured years of painful experiences. They’ve been in and out of foster care and most have been victims of emotional, verbal and physical abuse. They’ve suffered insecurity over food, family support and housing. Some are already parents themselves....
"They are the reason we must work harder to repair schools, families and neighborhoods, and the reason we should invest in programs that work. This city is home to thousands of children whose great potential is largely untapped. Helping them fulfill their potential, and, thus, have the opportunities they deserve, must be our city’s cause."
Short on time? Use our Category Search page.
Comments (0)