Two hundred young people, much like Evan and George, live in this 'investment in our collective future' for however much time their own 'journey back' takes. Several of them told me about the stability and the hope, the care and the calling forth, the meaningful opportunity and thus possibility this program has brought to their lives. But they cannot do it alone - as a society we must know and embrace this truth. It may be a home for six, or a mentor who stays committed, or a new skill that opens doors, or a treatment program that isn't simply a revolving door. Whatever it looks like, if it's the right mixture of caring, patience, competence, and commitment, we need to invest in it.
Young people are our only future.
It is they who will carry our dreams, live out our legacies, make of our society a real community, instead of a place where we simply rush by one another, perhaps on our own journey to nowhere.