Recently, the news flooded with numerous stories of poverty, homelessness and desperate situations that people are forced to deal with across the country. These unfortunate events affect lives of adults, teens and young children alike. The Grand Valley has been trying to solve the growing problem of homelessness, specifically among teenagers.

About a year ago, a community meeting was held in Grand Junction to find potential solutions for the dilemma. In this meeting, one man offered to establish a shelter for these kids to help them find a better life.

John Mok-Lamme is a campus pastor at Colorado Mesa University. His involvement in the project, known as “The House,” began as a way to use the positive influence of the faith community to help the underprivileged. Since he has spent time learning about these struggling kids, Mok-Lamme has become much more passionate.

“Over time, after about a year or two, I began to really understand the problem and then it hit me,” Mok-Lamme said. “I started listening to myself talk about it and I thought ‘Oh my gosh, this is horrible.’”

He claimed in 2010, there were 55 homeless teens in District 51 alone and between 100 and 160 homeless in the Grand Valley area. These teens are spread out in various areas, sleeping on other’s couches, living in the desert, or living in cars. They are without a home for a variety of different reasons, such as struggles with foster care, dysfunctional homes, and even the inability of parents to accept their child’s sexual preference. Along with the clear lack of basic survival needs, there are also other major concerns that put their safety in great jeopardy.

“They are at incredible risk of physical sexual abuse,” Mok-Lamme said. “These kids are being preyed upon and they’re being crowded into the sex trade. There’s no doubt about that.”

With a homeless shelter, Mok-Lamme wants to create a bond between the underprivileged kids and the rest of the community. He said kids will be more comfortable in a home if they feel accepted.

“It’s really not about housing, it’s about the connection,” Mok-Lamme said. “What keeps homeless teens out of homelessness is less the shelter and more the connection.”

“The House,” strives to push homeless teens towards their passions in order to ground them.

There are many ways to help fund or provide service for the good cause. The financial options include becoming a “guardian” of a homeless teen by donating approximately eight dollars a month or simply contributing any amount money to the organization. There are also volunteer opportunities available only one night a week from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Even the little things such as liking their Facebook page or following their Twitter account will help spread the message Mok-Lamme is trying to relay to the community.

“Rib City has something like 500 likes and we only have 54,” Mok-Lamme said. “For CMU students to like our page would be a big deal.”

For more information on The House, visit www.thehousegj.org. or contact Jon Mok-Lamme at 234-1810.