Although the Atlanta-based homeless organization Stand Up For Kids has only been around for 20 years, many of those it serves were not even born yet. The all-volunteer non-profit is now in 45 cities in 23 states and serves kids living on the street, generally between ages 13 and 24 years old. Volunteers seek them out and offer food, clothes, and information about other resources for shelter and safety.

Stephanie Hansen, a nurse who has lived in West Seattle for 11 years, is the Director of Outreach for the Seattle chapter of Stand Up For Kids. That chapter began in June, 2009, and she joined last December. She is a grad student at Northwest University and studied counseling psychology.

“Learning counseling skills was key when I got to go out and talk to kids and listen to them tell their stories,” said Hansen, who has a teen-aged daughter. “We offer food and hygiene items, clothing, blankets and tarps. We hand out resource cards to new transplants. Volunteers meet downtown, walk around and find kids who are homeless, and ask if they know other homeless youth. We service kids where they are, and direct them to drop-in centers.”

Two centers are the Orion Dro-in Center at 1828 Yale Ave., and New Horizons Ministries at Third Ave. and Cedar in Belltown.

“There is a culture involved with any type of group, and with homeless youth, they are very aware of their age and protective of other young ones,” she said. “They usually group together for safety, and for the social aspect.

“All homeless youth first think about survival, getting their next meal,” she said. “When talking to the kids a little further, you find a huge amount of distrust with adults, which may come from abuse from their childhood or current abusive relationships.

“Some of these kids have been on the streets a long time. They have the same types of hopes as other (non-homeless) teens, thoughts of grandiosity, that they will make it big. Teens in general do not have that ability to plan ahead, but street kids don’t have the guidance that teens with parents raising them do. That’s where we come in.”

Hansen said that the homeless kids she services consider themselves “street youth,” and look down on “ravers,” generally considered runaways who tend to have chosen their circumstance. The street youth feel they contrast the ravers as they believe they are more respectful, and, unlike ravers, want to avoid trouble.

“The ravers are like the punk rockers I remember from the past,” said Hansen. “I don’t know what they think they stand for, maybe a kind of anarchy and freedom. But the street youth are hypersensitive to these kids coming out and disrespecting their home. One street youth I spoke to said he met a recent runaway who left home because he didn’t want to do his chores. I have more empathy for the young people who live on the streets who have no choice.”

Hansen works with about 25 other volunteers and is always searching for more. For more information, check out www.standupforkids.org, or contact Stephanie Hansen at stephanieh@standupforkids.org. You can join their Facebook page- StandUp for Kids (Seattle)

Also, you can support Stand Up For Kids by attending their upcoming Halloween Spooky Soirée on Friday, October 29, from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am at The Hawk’s Nest Sports Bar and Grill, 1028 1st Avenue.

“Wear your craziest costume because you’ll be judged by celebrities Jason and Molly Mesnick of “The Bachelor”, Jen Mueller of Fox Sports Northwest, Don O’Neill from the “Ron and Don Show” on 97.3 KIROFM, Matt Pitman, 710 ESPN Seattle host of Seattle Mariner’s Pre and Post Game Shows, and Mike Salk of the Brock and Salk Show. A ticket for $25 gets you entrance into the costume contest and raffle ticket.”