5,000 Homeless Children on the Cruel Streets in the City of Albuquerque

Today we watch the local news as they report the tragic end to the life of a sweet little three year old child and most mothers think to themselves “my god how could this happen!” As a mother there is no greater task in life then to protect my child from harm and I just cannot image what kind of mother could take the life of her child.

My heart bleeds for the homeless children of this city and even thought I don’t have large sums of money I still manage to give what I can to help these children. As a parent I like my friends have to wonder out loud where the Children Young and Families Department is and why on earth are they so completely failing to protect these children from harm’s way? Why do they not have funding and support programs that help get these babies off the streets and help their parents find funding and jobs so that they can have a roof over their heads and food to eat? What is the City of Albuquerque doing to protect these children from harm?

Last evening the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County took donations to help provide food for some of these homeless children and the party chair Ana Canales asked people to continue to give donations during the year so that we might help these children to have food to eat during the summer school break. People might ask why they are not getting food stamps. The answer is as simple as that without an address they cannot get them. When it comes to underage children this type of red tape should be strictly forbidden. Surly our federal government could find a way to help get services to these homeless children. What kind of country turns a blind eye to underage children and leaves them to starve on city streets during the heat of the summer?

Homeless school age children attend classes and try their very best to better their lives during the school year so why not open some of those same school cafeterias during the summer months to help provide food for homeless children? Maybe it would cut down on the problem of those schools being broken into during the summer months. It would give school support systems the ability to provide clothing to those same children and their smaller brothers and sisters. Parenting classes could be held both at the local schools and local community centers that could help train parents on how to ask for city services and how to apply for jobs in the local area. Where is the leadership from city government on these issues?

Update from a Reader

Locations of Free Summer Food Services Sites

The Summer Lunch Program is provided in City community centers, parks, elementary and middle schools, apartment complexes, public housing, churches and at non-profit organizations.

Some sites serve breakfast.

Call 505-764-1747 (Summer Lunch Program) or 505-767-5800 (Community Centers Admin Office) for more information.

Age Requirement: Open to children and youth 1 to 18 years old

Let's hope that they start providing parenting classes at some of these sites. All of these sites should serve breakfast. No parent in this city should be made to feel all alone or uncared for by our society.