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According to the Merced City and County Continuum of Care, the City of Merced homeless count dropped very slightly from 318 to 310 in 2018, though the number of displaced people in Merced County rose from 454 to 514. Your words from the sickness That’s been infecting your mind And swelling your feet Stuck in my head tonight As I drove out of the parking lot I saw you Clutching the rag That gave you some warmth We made eye contact And my empathy Signaled I needed to break the boundaries Broadcasting our society So I parked again And walked up to the front I gave you a blanket And watched The fear in your eyes Escape As the tears welled up Sanity hit through Only for second But then your words clouded And your ranting started to spew Bipolar and Schizophrenia You shouted out addresses Of loved ones Who left you Alone with your demons You scratched at your clothes Infested with dirt And clung to your body Soaked in heroin All drugs you thought could mask the relentless pain In your head You said They wanted to put you In an institution But even your unawareness Couldn’t give you the benefit For the cold Was blowing your feet And socks weren’t coming I only have These cheese sticks I bought in a hurry For my lunches I’m sure your empty stomach Would appreciate it As you were yelling It would give you some strength But cheese sticks Can’t fix the swirls in your head I wish I could pull out Those memories of the streets Instead People in your position Remind me of my luck That I have a home With a warm fresh coat And no fear of being struck I have no fright Of extreme poverty On a cold December night Outside of a Target parking lot I have no fright of bare feet and a decayed young mind Read More
community growing up in Merced homelessness mental health merced county homeless count substance abuseI have anxiety. I’m a 16 year old introvert who over the last year has figured out that she has anxiety. Now it’s not as severe as other people’s, but it’s definitely a constant battle: Aaliyah vs. Anxiety. Anxiety being defined as, “People with generalized anxiety disorder display excessive anxiety or worry for months and face several anxiety-related symptoms by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Read More
education health mental health merced merced county safety youthAs a hardcore makeup lover and a young woman with fair skin, finding makeup to suit my skin tone has been pretty easy. Makeup seems to be catered for girls who look like me. Recently, while shopping for beauty products, I found myself examining the color selection for people of color (POC). Read More
Originally produced by YouthWire Story by Victor Seguin When we think of schools we think of our education and the learning skills of our next generation; however we don’t always think about the mental wellbeing of those in our schools. We know education is important, but the students in these schools won’t be able to focus on their education if they’re not in the right mindset. Read More
In honor of National Mentoring Month, We’Ced sat down with former youth reporter and current mentor Victor Seguin to get his take on what it means to help guide and support young people. From reminders to lend a compassionate ear to the importance of leading by example, Victor’s words of wisdom are a great lesson for both adult allies and youth alike. Read More
mentor merced National Mentoring Month sons & brothers spotlight youthAccording to the 2016 Merced County Community Health Assessment, Hispanic and Latino residents reported higher rates of chronic depressive symptoms than White counterparts, despite having lower diagnosis rates. The community’s youth are also vulnerable, with more than 34 percent of Latino teens in Merced County reporting depression-related feelings almost every day for two weeks or more, according to KidsData. Too often, Guillen said, Latino and immigrant families get used to operating under stressful conditions and fail to recognize the signs of more serious mental health disorders like depression, anxiety or even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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