KIDS ON THE STREET

ONE of the more interesting revelations of the Addictions Foundation of
Manitoba's recent study of Winnipeg street kids is that, actually, not many
of them sleep on the street. About 30 per cent, or 43, of the 142 people
aged 14 to 25 surveyed, said they stayed overnight on the street "often."
Most of the respondents interviewed at a youth centre found some sort of
shelter, although the survey did not canvas all of them as to where they
might sleep.

Another interesting element to the report issued this week is that while
most of the respondents had ample experience with drugs, and roughly a
quarter with injected drugs, none of the respondents who had been tested
said they were HIV-positive and very few reported testing positive for
hepatitis C. Either the young people, many of whom were involved in the sex
trade, are receiving good health information and are smart about protecting
themselves, or the span of their lifestyles had not yet put them at high
risk. This finding poses further questions because HIV infection is rising
in Manitoba and street youth should be most at risk.

There is a lot of detail to despair over in reviewing the life experiences
and health of the adolescents and young adults selected for the survey by
youth centre staff. Many reported they had been abused, sexually or
physically, before the age of nine and many began using alcohol and other
drugs much younger than most kids do. The vast majority did not graduate
from high school. Self-reported symptoms of mental health issues were high.

The AFM had a particular interest in street youth who use crystal meth.
Crystal meth has been singled out by Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh and
various police forces as a scourge gaining ground in Manitoba. The survey
indicates that while more than half of respondents had used crystal meth,
31 per cent used it regularly and they were those who tended to indulge in
a variety of drugs.

Most of the 142 surveyed had found work for some period of time in the last
12 months; very few panhandled. For all their troubles, these young people
show they can operate in the labour force and know the value of work. That
shows hope they can be "rescued" from the street. But, as the bulk of the
report indicates, stanching the flow of kids to the streets will require
more work in the home, schools and, critically, in protecting kids from
predators.