Homeless teens find shelter at Promise House

G.J. McCarthy of the Dallas Morning News and videographer Matt Nager collaborated on this story about Ryan Dunklin, 18, and Sarah Colley, 20. They are clients of the Dallas, Texas-based Promise House, which aims to help homeless teenagers in the north Texas area.

Do1Thing: The story of Nicole

Nicole Santos thrived as a little girl, learning art and growing up in the beauty salons where her mother worked. But Nicole says her life began to go down hill at the age of 9 when her mother died and her father stepped back into her life. Now in her 20s, separated from her husband, homeless with two children and a third on the way, Nicole has found sanctuar and a place to restart her life at a Covenant House in Florida.

This story was made by multimedia producer Laura Heald of Straw Hat Visuals and Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Bill Frakes of Sports Illustrated for Do1Thing.org.

Do1Thing: The story of Griffin and Melissa

The photography, interviews and production for this project for Do1Thing.org are by Katja Heinemann, who is represented by Aurora Select. Principal reporting done in New York, NY, February 14, 2009.

Griffin Kinard, 22, has been a poet and writer for the past five years. Born in Brooklyn, he spent his childhood and teenage years in a series of state institutions – larger residence programs for at-risk youths such as Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry, NY, and Green Chimneys in Brewster, NY. During the last four years before aging out of the system he found himself back in NYC, finishing high school while living in a Salvation Army group home for boys, The East Village Residency.

A 7-months stint in jail was followed by his 21st birthday, and a new commitment to writing.  He is a senior writer at Represent Magazine, a bi-monthly publication for and by youth in foster care by the non-profit www.youthcomm.org.  Griffin stays at his older sister's home in Harlem most nights, with occasional stints in drop-in shelters when the siblings argue.

For the past 5 months, Melissa, age 20, and Griffin have been a couple.  She is recovering from a history of institutionalization in group homes and psychiatric programs. Melissa says that for the first time in her life feels like she can love and trust somebody, and she also appreciates the help and guidance Griffin's sister Salena can provide for her.  The young couple fantasizes about getting married and getting a place of their own, providing a home for themselves, along with Salena and her boyfriend Anthony, if they can scrunch together enough money between the four of them.

 

www.katjaheinemann.com
www.auroraselect.com
Do1Thing.org
www.youthcomm.org"