EL CAJON, Calif. — California has more unaccompanied homeless youth than anywhere else in the country, with an estimated 1,500 living in San Diego County.
That was the message being highlighted during a rally in El Cajon Thursday.
November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month.
Dozens of people marched through the streets of El Cajon in hopes of drawing awareness to what they say is a crisis.
"Think about a classroom, an average high school classroom, 30 students, at least one of those students, every year is going to be facing homelessness or houselessness," said Laura Tancredi-Baese, CEO of Home Start, a local nonprofit that works to help families and prevent youth homelessness.
Statewide, Tancredi-Baese says there are at least 25,000 young people facing homelessness adding, if it's not addressed early, the trend continues later in life.
"We want people to know that it's really prevention. Because if you look at our adult homeless population, at least 50% say their homelessness began when they were a young person. And so we want to start early," said Tancredi-Baese.
One person who knows first-hand what it's like to be young without a home is Ariel Taylor.
"I started being homeless at 16," said Taylor.
Now 20, she shared her story at Thursday’s rally, saying relying on services provided by local non-profits helped her get off the streets, though it hasn't been easy.
"When you're going from, you know, a transitional age, from a teenager to an adult, you're also kind of learning how to adult too, and you don't have any parents to kind of teach you that, or any like guide. So that's like, another thing you have to kind of figure out by yourself," said Taylor.
Fortunately, groups like Home Start act as guides, but local leaders say more resources, including housing for young people, and less red tape are needed to curb the problem.
That includes not waiting until someone is without a home to help.
"It is much easier to help someone who is on the verge of being homeless than to wait until they're homeless," said El Cajon Councilwoman Michelle Metschel.
Metschel was once homeless herself.
At the local level, she's advocating for change, but says state and federal leaders need to focus on the issue as well.
"It is a crisis, and it's not just here in El Cajon, it's across the United States," said Metschel.