A Young Mother, Trying to Stay Off of the Streets

There are an estimated 25,000 homeless youth in Illinois, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and nearly 40 percent of them have children. Amanda Novoa, 18, was once among them.

Novoa gave birth to her second baby just after midnight on New Year’s day. She and her husband, Lamar West, have both experienced periods of homelessness. Kicked out of her home by her mother after her first child was born nearly one year ago, Novoa found refuge at the Night Ministry shelter, which aims to provide support services for young homeless parents.

“There is an added challenge of having this developmental challenge of managing the teenage years — the angst that goes with teenage years — and then it’s compounded by the stress of being homeless,” said Melissa Maguire, director of the Night Ministry’s youth shelter network.

Novoa spent three months at the shelter, learning how to navigate social services to find care for her baby. Novoa and West are now living with her parents, a family of four sharing a six-by-eight-foot room.

“It’s going to be hard, but if we put our heads together, I think we can do it,” she said.