Youths Get a Taste of Life on the Streets

A group of at-risk youths spent 30 consecutive hours this week working, eating and sleeping at a downtown homeless shelter as part of a summer employment program sponsored by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

The 14 participants, ranging in age from 14 to 21, arrived at the Union Rescue Mission on South San Pedro Street on Monday to shed all the comforts of life and learn some hands-on lessons about work and life, said officials for the shelter and the Sheriff’s Department. The group left Tuesday afternoon after spending more than a day.

During that time, they served meals, performed house cleaning duties and entered data on the shelter’s computer, said Cheryl Greer-Davis, an academic enrichment instructor for the Sheriff’s Department.

Those chosen for the visit came from low-income families, and tested below the eighth-grade proficiency level in English or math, Greer-Davis said. Many also came from broken homes. They are considered to be high risks for joining gangs, using drugs and becoming pregnant.

Besides demonstrating the virtues of volunteer service, the program is designed to encourage participants to stay in school and lead productive lives, said Lt. Lynda Castro, with the Sheriff’s Department. “It gives them a sense of life in perspective.”

Shelter officials said the visit was an abbreviated version of their “40-Hour Stop” program, which has been offered for several years to those interested in learning more about life on skid row and inner cities.