He was really a very slight youth - not very tall and barely topping the scales over 100 pounds. Surrounded by hundreds of homeless adult men, he looked even more vulnerable. Approached to receive help, he was apprehensive. I said, "You don't have to live this way, we have alternatives for you". He replied, "My mom would want to check it out. She is like that, you know." I wanted to say, "Oh really, did she check this place out?" Of course, I held my tongue because after working with homeless youth so many years, I understand that every child, regardless of their circumstances, wants to believe they are loved. Eventually, Dale moved into our Transitional Living Facility.

Dale's past was checkered. He didn't win the card draw when he came into the world. A closer look at this young man revealed a slight disability. His records say he was shot in the head with a BB gun at the age of three, not surprising in the world of homeless youth. His injury seemed to be verified by his slow response to questions. What his records don't say, but what our experience tells us is that he suffered another insidious abuse - the abuse of neglect. Growing up like an unwanted dandelion, he has difficulty forming attachments, the rebellious teen whose heart longs love and whose behavior repels people.

His mother collects his monthly SSI check telling him that she will apply the money to the family "trailer", and although he can't live there now, someday it will be his. Tragically, he believes her and finds his home on the street.

Fortunately, Dale meets a HomeBase Youth Services' outreach worker on the street where he lives. Slowly he reclaims his life as he begins to see the world through new eyes and no longer through the eyes of adults who took advantage of his innocence. He reclaimed his life and began the slow process of healing and hope.