The Invisible: Children without Homes Say the word “homeless” and it most likely conjures up an image of a bag lady or old man asleep on a park bench. But the fastest growing homeless population in the United States is homeless families. Bob Edwards spent hours interviewing homeless men, women, teens and children – at shelters, group homes, and on city sidewalks – to report their stories. Teenagers told of the financial hardship and violence – verbal, physical, and sexual – that forced them on to the streets. Twelve-year-old Carissa Phelps resorted to prostitution; Thomas Healey dealt drugs and shoplifted. Zinani Bishop did her homework in the park under a streetlight. In New York the number of homeless families is at an all time high. There are 1.3 million homeless children on their own every year. And Washington, DC is the worst place for children in the nation, where one in three live under the poverty line. The challenges facing this young group are crippling, often lifelong, and sometimes deadly. Yet as the cost of living increases and the economy tightens, programs for these vulnerable families are being cut. Further, these young children of poor, broken families are in turn more likely to be homeless themselves as teens and adults. Homeless kids suffer more abuse, abandonment, health problems, learning disabilities, and emotional disorders than other children. That makes it harder for them to learn and do well in school and that makes them more susceptible to homelessness as adults. “The Invisible” tells stories of survival and hope in a time when solutions are quietly debated. Social workers and government officials generally agree about how best to help that nation’s homeless children – that’s to provide comprehensive services, education assistance, and medical treatment. But is enough being done to protect children like Carissa, Thomas, and Zinani? Bob Edwards is the host of the Bob Edwards Show, the flagship program on XM Public Radio – XM 133. It’s an original weekday morning program which features in-depth interviews with newsmakers, journalists, entertainers, and other compelling figures. Prior to joining XM Satellite Radio, Edwards hosted National Public Radio’s (NPR) Morning Edition for 24 and a half years, attracting more than 13 million listeners weekly. Bob Edwards has won the duPont-Columbia Award for radio journalism, the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio. In November of 2004, Edwards was inducted into the national Radio Hall of Fame. Less