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THE ISSUES

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Empty Vessel is committed to strategically tackling issues with practical help for the underserved, disadvantaged and homeless. Adults and children are the benefactors of our programs and services that reduce the impact of negative issues. Although just a sample of issues the key is intervention into the lives of young people and adults.

THEM

Homelessness

Homelessness in general increased modestly in the United States in 2019, the second increase in two years. On a single night in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 552,830 people were found to be experiencing homelessness in the United States.

  • Over 550K People are Homeless

  • Half of those are unsheltered

  • Youth lacking a high school diploma or GED had over a 300% higher risk of homelessness .

  • Youth in households making less than $24,000 a year had a 150 % higher risk of homelessness.

Gangs

A recent survey of America's largest city police departments showed that ninety-five percent reported significant criminal activity by youth gangs or gang-like groups of young people. 

  • There are  1,500 youth gangs with more than 120,000 members in the US

  • The average age of the arrested gang offender is seventeen or eighteen

  • 16% of youth gang members were younger than 15; 34% were between the ages of 15 and 17

Drugs/Alcohol

Social issues, bullying, added responsibilities at home  many times push young people into drug and alcohol use to cope. 

  • About 21% of high school students admit drug use and 41% report drinking alcohol.

  • About 25% of middle schoolers have tried alcohol at some point in their life, and 18% of eighth-graders report having tried an illicit drug during their lifetime. 

  • 78% of U.S. teens had drank alcohol

  • 81% of teens had the opportunity to use illicit substances, with 42% actually using them.

Mental Health

Environmental causes of mental illness in adolescents are typically, at their core, a result of stress. Common sources of stress in adolescence are social stress, isolation, or substance abuse.

  • 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses develop by age 14

  • 1 in 5 young people suffer from a mental illness

  • 18.1% of the population every year. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.

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