I I� !I' I".! 1IIIIIl ut.u v , '\. n cr -. \ i, \\ ....
ROOTSO C
'I1Ie ...
bCMlIU.· d to a number of
fadon, Iy the loss of units
due to deterioration and the
OOIlVe1rs1(l' • of reDtai units into
I coado . . Th' <lisp ce-
t led to of SOO,(XX)
un' per year (19?O-
80), aod' . continuing into th .
decade.
The waJltma
�mple: NewOrleaas rents out
13,000 . . units and
21,cm households waiting
in line for them. Waitina .
like this are comm n
throughout our na' 's cities.
Furthermore, there are millioDS
of so-called 1lidden homeless
or. families do up il
legally ith other families.
N tionwide' s estima ed that 3
million persoas are IMng
doubled up.
ABANDO,.r .... ��
The Reagan AdministratioD
essentially abandoned the
nation's oommitmeat to public
housiag by Qlttmg subsidies by
80 pereeat, This' a tre ndous
of fimds but it simply means
that we have to rand another
way. 1be gr &t of home
less families with children will
h fully tum the ,tide of public
option back in fa\lOr of nation
al commitment to build affor
dable rental units. States and
cities sha1I have to revie their
tax revenues and set their
pre •. accordingly. For ex-
ample, in Ne York City, where
homelessness is reaching
epidemic proportions, city offi
cials have set a 10 year goal for
building 40,(8) public housing
units.
In addition to providing shel
ter for low-income families
should establish on-site
programs in public housing
I
KanUS C ("'SOUrl) Star
October 31, 1899
. .
lynched, denied
faeiliti ich support
educate families of these
ide might iDdude a mobile
tr ct ceDter for after scbool care
daiIdreD of wor· parents,
to timulate them well
provide for their seauity. In a .
H Texas" us'
development, computer
tutorial are pr;ovided for
children in grades 3-5. The
progra uses public school
teacbers to � the read-
)
SFLF-ID1P
Other good upport
programs include ODe tab-
lished by the Continen a .
Black women's service group
which adopted the Whit
comb Court development in
Richmond, Vqinia.
The group hlton resident
Children, coordinates a health
St%eeniDg cIinit; and takes kids
. out to CX)Dcuts and plays. ew
York City' elderly support
p.-ogra hires a emip ofes
sional, on-site advisor in ten
ho ing developments to be
aYalliable 24 hours a day for
.. inteneptio counseling
or refema.ls to 0 services.
� role of all of our govern
� .. federal, st te, and
local;.' toseekou tbesegood
.ideas. d expand and fmance
em. The homes thal Uncle
built are dimini
'. J ... " LJ
.,.l."."
.
Klt!> 'H1_ GR.! .. u: T f ��i'-T f),�
�.
.. ....-.ro u ed of
aying Bartend is
ngby 06
lirat
, W Edd
It is a little unusual for
teenage men to stay up past
midnight talking about h not
to get a girl pregnant, bu that's
exactly what happeoed at a late
rulllliDg teen pregnancy preven
t' conference aimed at young
men, sponsored by the AJpha
Phi AI Fraternity. To date,
at least 100 of the &aternifYs
chapt�rs have held similar con
ferences, often 'th the Ip of
the March of Dimes, in com-
lJIun" around the country.
The conferences attract
anywhere from 3S to 200 high
school boy . Youths are en
couraged to elp p� the con
kun�, etthe �nda,and
help with the hard k of stag
ing the even . The conferences
have three simp eg accord
ing to Michael Price, director of
communications and programs
a( Alph Phi Alpha: ina ing
(he young men's kno ledge
about sexuality and the conse
quences of teen pregnancy, get
ting them to think bout their
values and goals, and encourag-
ing them to teach what they
learned to others, especially
their peer . .
"There is a tremendous
amount of ignorance- amo
young men about basic h
health, sexuality, and hpoe,
says Price. Young men are even
less familiar with their bodies
and how they work than are
young gir he discovered
Yet young men also have, he
says, • a tremendous thirst for
this information." That is y
every such coeference begins
With a talk by a healty profes
sional, who tells the young men
about their reproductive system
and the consequences of sex.
The second section of every .
conference tries to get the
young men to understand that
the>1 have control over and
responsibility for the choices
they m e in their lives. A mini-
er or a youth worker I ds
discussion, giving the you a
lesson th l, in too many families
today, parents no longer leach.
The young people are a ked
what th ir goals are and wit t
Hi
an y
they are doing every day to fur
ther those goals; "If you want to
be a doctor tomorrow, what are
you do' today?"
FmalIy, the young people are
eDCXMIJ"a8Cd to carry the mes-
they have received to their
homes, chools, and com
m 1bey do. After attend
ing such conferences, says
Price, kids are fired up."
Youth's folio -up activities
have included school as
semb.lies, ne paper articles,
'and continuing contact with .
fraternity members.
If your fraternity· king
for a way to join our
oommunity' efforts to f t teen
pregJWlcy, tim is a fme lace to
start. Contact Michael Price,
Alph Phi Alph Fraternity,
Inc., 4432 . Martin Luther
King, Jr. Driv , Chicago, IL
60653 (313) 373-1819.
Mtvion Wright Edelman is
Pruidolt of th Children �
INfense Fund, a nalionaJ voice
for cJaiJdIm.