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When Trauma Is Mistaken for Trouble Let’s clear the air, because the streets already taken enough breath from these kids. Unhoused youth are not “acting out.” They are living out loud in survival mode . When a young person is couch-surfing, in a shelter, doubled up, or sleeping somewhere they shouldn’t be, their brain is not asking about algebra, tone of voice, or compliance. It’s asking one thing, over and over: “Am I safe today?” That’s not defiance. That’s trauma with a pu

A NYC DOE, DYCD & Community-Based Response to At-Risk and High-Risk Youth Let’s keep it real—New York City runs three parallel youth systems  that too often don’t talk to each other: New York City Department of Education  sees behavior in classrooms Department of Youth and Community Development  sees behavior after school and in the streets Community-based organizations (CBOs)  see behavior in homes, shelters, and real life The tragedy?Each system sees a piece  of the child—a