Couple, child without a home or place to turn; 9NEWS viewers respond

DENVER - If there's anything tougher than being hungry, it's not having a place to call home. The Robinson family has been experiencing both of those feelings for the better part of the past year.

Angelique Robinson, 17, lives with her husband, 19, and their 15-month-old daughter, Jaslene. After her husband lost his job, Angelique and her family were evicted from their apartment.

The story isn't uncommon; what is rare is that, because of their ages and their child, the Robinsons are not eligible for teenage homeless shelters or housing with nearly every organization they called. Their child already limits their options.

Furthermore, Angelique and her husband are too young (both under the age of 20) to live in homeless shelters with other adults.

The couple is also unwilling to separate during the time they would live in a shelter, another requirement of many homeless shelters.

"They've told me they can't help me unless it was just me and the baby," Angelique said. "But I have a husband, and she needs her dad."

Upon checking with several homeless shelters for teenagers in the Denver area, 9NEWS found that the Robinson family situation is, indeed, a "perfect storm" of circumstances preventing them from staying together as a family at many shelters.

"There are nearly 1,200 to 1,500 young people living on the streets in Colorado on any given night," Kendall Rames, deputy director of Urban Peak in Denver, said.

The shelter caters to homeless youth, ages 14 to 24 in Colorado. Rames says more than 50 percent of homeless young people are driven to homelessness because of troubles with foster care. The other 50 percent are made up of stories of trauma, physical abuse, substance abuse, the economy, or in rare cases, simply because of choice.

"Many will ask, 'Well, why don't you go home? Why aren't you in college? And there are really many reasons why those aren't options," Rames said. "The dangers once a young person is on a streets include that they could be exposed to violence, approached for human trafficking purposes, or that they're trusting in adults who shouldn't be trusted. They're out there, and without positive role models and resources, they're going to be victimized."

To learn more about Urban Peak, visit the shelter's Web site at www.urbanpeak.org.

While the Robinson family doesn't fall into this category of homelessness, they are homeless nonetheless. They are currently staying with Angelique's cousin, who has offered them temporary shelter. The Robinsons, like so many other families, still desire that place to call their own home.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: After Angelique shared her family's story, calls immediately came into the 9NEWS Information Center offering suggestions for homeless shelters for teenage families with children as well as offers of financial and food assistance.
9NEWS is currently fielding those requests to help and relaying them to the Robinson Family. We will share an update in the coming days.