-rj01174495- — Girl And Homeless

Layla is not a statistic. But the numbers are brutal: Over 40% of the homeless population are women, and a shocking percentage of those are unaccompanied girls under 18. They run from abuse, from foster care that failed them, or simply from families that evaporated due to addiction or eviction.

"Why a book?" I finally asked her.

In a world that often looks past the homeless, we look through young women. We assume a system will catch them. We assume a shelter has a bed. We assume wrong. Girl And Homeless -RJ01174495-

But for every Layla who makes it, a dozen others are standing on a corner right now, clutching a broken rabbit or a worn-out library book, hoping someone will finally see them. Layla is not a statistic