Youth hit hard by lack of jobs, school grants UNEMPLOYMENT

Vincent Chew, 20 years old, sleeps on the couch of a friend, Monday June 6, 2009, in Novato, Calif. Vincent Chew, 20 years old, sleeps on the couch of a friend, Monday June 6, 2009, in Novato, Calif. Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Youth hit hard by lack of jobs, school grants 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Jordan Atkinson had all the trappings of a typical Marin County childhood. He lived in a big house in Novato, played Pop Warner football, spent weekends with friends listening to hip-hop.

Now, three years out of San Marin High School, Atkinson is homeless, a casualty of the recession.

"I was spoiled. I had a lot of things easy," Atkinson said recently while drinking a smoothie at a Novato cafe, taking a break from job applications and college forms. "Now, unless someone physically attacks me, it doesn't feel like things could get much worse."

Young people like Atkinson are among the hardest hit by the state's soaring unemployment rate. More than 18 percent of workers 16 to 24 are unemployed, a 70 percent jump from a year ago and the highest of any other group, according to the state employment office.

"What happens is, these kids can't find jobs, so they can't afford to go to school, and a lot of them end up homeless, staying with relatives or couch-surfing," said Racy Ming, manager of the Marin Employment Connection, a county employment office. "With Cal Grants drying up, what are these kids supposed to do? It's shocking."

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In Marin County, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 7.5 percent, the number of young people seeking employment services has jumped nearly 80 percent from last year, Ming said.

In Marin and elsewhere, young people are suffering the brunt of the recession because of the hordes of well-educated, experienced adults taking jobs traditionally held by youth, such as retail and food service positions.

"We're seeing people with master's degrees working as Starbucks baristas," Ming said. "There are a few jobs out there, but turnover is slow and employers often don't even post the openings because they're so overwhelmed with applications. It's pretty grim."

Stimulus jobs

In Marin and other counties throughout the state, young people got a small boost from youth employment funding in the stimulus package. In California, 47,000 workers age 14 to 24 have summer jobs thanks to the federal program.

Partly as a result of the job shortage, young people represent the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population nationwide, according to Zara Babitzke, director of Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity, a Marin nonprofit that helps young people.

Youth aren't just slammed by the scarcity of jobs, however. They're also struggling because of the relatively high cost of living, especially in the Bay Area, and because many of their parents are also out of work and unable, or unwilling, to help, she said.

"These kids have been severely let down by the Baby Boomer generation," Babitzke said. "It's a crime, as far as I'm concerned."

Nationwide, the number of homeless people ages 16 to 25 has more than doubled since 2000, from 1.8 million to about 4 million, she said.

In Atkinson's case, the downward spiral started a few months ago when his weekly hours at Best Buy in San Rafael were cut from 40 to four. At the time, he was attending College of Marin and living in an apartment in Petaluma with friends.

"I thought I'd find a new job within a few days," he said. "But there's nothing out there. I apply for jobs and don't even get a reply."

He lost his apartment two months ago and has been sleeping on friends' couches. He would stay with his father, but his father lost the family house in 2006 when his building-maintenance business collapsed. Now Atkinson's father lives in Pacifica and sends money when he can.

Atkinson continues to look for work and plans to return to College of Marin in the fall. Meanwhile, he tries to stay upbeat and focus on the future.

"I do worry sometimes. It's tough when you don't know where you're going to sleep at night," he said. "But I know I'll be OK. The economy's hit rock bottom, not me."

Vincent Chew, 20, is also a couch surfer. A 2007 graduate of Novato High, Chew now attends College of Marin and works nearly full time as a youth adviser at local nonprofits. He also sits on the board of the Marin chapter of the ACLU.

The problem is that he earns only $500 to $600 a month, enough to pay for food but not enough for rent.

Hard without money

"I am struggling with everything," Chew said. "They call Marin 'Money County,' but it can be hard here if you don't have money."

Chew grew up in New York but, after a brush with the law, moved in with an uncle in Novato three years ago for a fresh start.

He plans to transfer to UC Irvine and study law and public policy, eventually becoming an attorney.

Meanwhile, he hopes he can make it through College of Marin.

"There's a high standard of living here," he said. "But I stay because there's so much here, so many resources. There's 2,000 nonprofits here to help."