I would like to introduce myself to you and share why this project is so important to me. My name is Liz Fate and I moved back to Miami three years ago, and I found out about an invisible problem here in Miami-Dade County. We have over 6,000 kids that have identified themselves as homeless to a trust counselor at their school in this county.
Also, there is an unknown number of homeless youth (up to age 25) that are here in our county. I have worked with over 300 of them in the last two years. You have seen a homeless youth before and probably had no idea that they were currently experiencing homelessness. Most of the youth I have worked with blend in to our community with no telltale sign of their extremely difficult situation.
While it has been extremely difficult for me to see these youth suffer, it has also been immensely rewarding to get to know so many remarkable young people. These people are talented, generous, loving, grateful and inspiring. And they happen to sleep in alleys and under bridges. They would be their amazing selves anywhere. But what really amazes me is that they continue to shine their lights despite the incredible struggles they encounter every day just to stay alive and out of harm’s way.
I have been touched by these friends of mine. And I have committed myself to transforming the way our community “deals” with this problem. Right now, there is a complete denial of their existence for some unknown political reason. There are no services for them and there are no viable housing options for them. This is why Project Nest is creating our first home. It is a small step, but it will be catalyst for the community. I ask for your help in spreading awareness about this current state of affairs. I ask for your support in empowering the future of our community one beautiful soul at a time. Thank you for joining me on this journey.