Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, December 4, 2014
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Indianapolis officers picked up a 12-year-old boy over the weekend who told them he’d been homeless for a week.
An IMPD police report states the child had been found behind a home on the east side. He told officers his father kicked him out and he'd been homeless for seven days. He was taken to Community East hospital and then turned over to Child Protective Services.
Courtney Modisette with Stopover, Inc. says this is not uncommon.
The non-profit houses kids 12 to 17 in its emergency shelter and older kids in a transitional shelter. Modisette said she often hears stories of kids either kicked out or who run away ending up living outdoors. Many times the kids end up in the streets, sleeping in parks or under bridges or do "couch surfing" staying at one friends and then anothers.
Officials say this child's story is a chance to let people know that child homelessness is more prevalent than they think and that there are resources available to kids and families. This year, Indiana schools reported more than 3,000 homeless kids in their halls.
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