It is often easy to forget the things we take for granted in our lives: having food, shelter, being able to attend high school. For many Tucson teens, those are luxuries they cannot afford. With nearly one-third of adolescents in Tucson living in poverty, teens in Pima county are the most prone to dropping out of school. Arizona has one of the highest high-school drop-out rates in the country, ranking at No. 4 in the nation for teen drop-outs.
For homeless youth, attending school can be the last thing on their mind. When just finding a home to sleep in is a daily struggle, homeless youth are most likely not to graduate high school. Youth On Their Own, a local organization, is working to change that. YOTO provides basic living needs for teens in Tucson that have difficult home lives, are living in poverty, are homeless or are in foster care. The goal? To help these youth graduate high school and pursue a better life by attaining higher education.
A story from the Arizona Daily Wildcat. Read On.