National Youth Organization Hero Becomes Homeless
(PRWEB) July 25, 2002
Don Fass, 59, founder and Executive Director of the national Streetcats Foundation for Youth and its programs, One Heart for Kids, National Childrens Coalition and Teen-Anon, the only national 12-step recovery fellowship for teens,
has become homeless and is living in a Berkeley, California men’s shelter, while he struggles to keep his 13-year-old organization helping youth all over the country.
Fass, a distinguished journalist and human relations trainer, who spent 0,000 of his own money working with street kids and runaways from NYC to Los Angeles, became homeless because of an eviction for only 3 owed for 1.5 weeks in Oakland, California, as his non-profit, that reaches 4 million people a year on the web and has 4,500 youth in its Teen-Anon 12-step groups for teens (from Anaheim, Ca to New Haven, Ct) has gotten less than ,000 in grants this year. No grants equal no salary, which equals homelessness.
Called a visionary and a hero for his career helping young people, the director of Streetcats
is walking the tightrope between telling funders
how dire the financial situation is or putting a positive spin on it, in terms of ‘new opportunities.’
According to Fass, the money ran out (Streetcats, though national, operates on under ,000 a year)
mostly because foundations and county governments are in total denial about treatment and aftercare recovery for teenagers, 80% of whom get no help of any kind with their substance abuse.
As in the big corporate world, money follows money, often not getting to help the youth and families it is supposed to, though foundations are giving away billions of dollars.
Fass says that the 5th. largest foundation in the country wrote back last year, turning down a small grant request, with ‘this year we’re working on teen violence,’ totally ignorant of how youth alcohol and drug use reaks havoc on families, school and the whole of society.
Fass also says that clergy of all faiths are equally ignorant about teen alcohol and drug use and what to do about it, with youth workers and youth pastors usually not trained in even the basics of how to deal with anything from Attention Deficit Disorder to Teen alcohol use or drugging.
‘People,’ particularly our youth, ‘are falling through the cracks all over America, more than ever,’ Fass says, calling it ‘a national disgrace.’ ‘This time, even I have fallen through the cracks, they are so large and so far hardly anybody cares or wants to get me back working whole heart and soul to helping children,’ he continues.
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