'The monster,' 'the kitty,' 'the scratch,' 'the gift that keeps on giving.'

‘The monster,’ ‘the kitty,’ ‘the scratch,’ ‘the gift that keeps on giving.’

Nancy Downing, director of advocacy and legal services at Covenant House New York, a youth shelter, has also learned of kids who consider getting infected with HIV/AIDS as a means of survival. “It’s bone-crushing,” she says. “It’s unbelievable that kids have to go those lengths to get the services they need. Young people are sometimes not looking at their long-term future — they can see only the short-term future — and that is a developmental issue. It’s going to have an impact on them for the rest of their lives. Some might not even take the medication, because at their age — again, developmentally — they might not see the need.”

— Who wants to feel fairly bad but very informed about something today? HERE YOU GO.