i think that we have rumi back with us. let's try again to hear from our sixth-grader. okay, rumi. about that. tell us again what it felt like to talk before congress and the point that you wanted to make. >> well, it was a very -- like i felt very important because they are such special people and i'm just one person and they were willing to listen to me speak about homelessness and how it affects other people. >> and i read a little bit about what you said, rumi. but let us all try to appreciate how hard it's been on you and your mom. i know there was a situation at home with violence, so you and your mom left. have just been moving an moving an moving. what is the hardest part been for you? >> the hardest part for me is losing all my friends and losing all of the relationships that we've had and the relationship with my father. and school was really hard. i was transferring to schools and from place to place. that's really hard. >> i know that it was hard to sleep because you were living in so many different places and you were always really tired at school as well. i know that

why haven't kids like rumi been counted?g this, we thought of homeless people as the scruffy guy on the street. congress and h.u.d., they have not adapted the thinking to the fact that families and youth are holeless in large number. probably 40% of the population of homeless people in our country are kids. and families. and you just kind of go, when is congress going to get a clue? and this committee today, they got more than a clue. the panel that spoke, they were so eloquent and articulate about the reality of homelessness. so now it's going to be taking that information back to the full body of congress and get some legislation and some funding for this. that's at the root of all this. >> you were talking to some pretty powerful people today. what are you hoping they will do after listening to your story? >> i hope that they'll open new housing for homeless people and give much more opportunities for homeless people. and i hope that they'll make a law about homeless people and just help people. because they're in a very

my name is rumi khan, and i'm 11 years old.my mom said something to her about pushing me up the stairs, she told my mom to leave. another friend that my mom grew up with heard about our situation and invited us to stay with him. it turned out that he had mental problems and was a big liar. my mom tried to get us into shelters for families that have been abused, but we couldn't because of me. they don't allow older boys like me to stay there. we were in one shelter for a little while, but had a time limit, so they moved us into a hotel. it was really scary because drug dealers stood around outside, sometimes men would knock on our door, and when my mom would open it, they would just look at us, and my mom would try to not say anything to make them mad and tell them they had the wrong door. i didn't want anyone to know where i was staying. when the bus, when the school bus dropped us off, i waited until no one would see me, and i then went to the hotel. another friend said she had a spare room we could stay in, but then wife got

and then, rumi come you testified and found safe harbor. could you tell us more about safe harbor and how you got into that and what it means to you? >> well, me and my mom came in and ask for a place to stay, and they gave -- first we're in the emergency side for a little while -- >> who is they? >> safe harbor. safe harbor davos a place to stay which is on the emergency side. they stay there for a while and they got to move this up to like where transitional side. and it's like a little apartment, and we have our own space, we have our own room. and it feels very safe, and sometimes i don't feel homeless because i do have a roof over my head. and me and my mum are together in that room. and we had neighbors and we had friends in their. >> have did you find safe harbor? wasn't recommended to you by somebody? >> yeah. >> that was fortunate, wasn't? >> yeah. >> thank you. brooklyn, you said that your mother now is going to school, got a diploma and a drivers license, and then is going to train to be a nurse assistant. who helped you, your mo

rumi khan, you testified and found safe harbor. can you tell us more about safe harbor and how you got into that? what does it mean to you? >>wel, me and my mom can ask for a place to stay and they gave us >> -- who is dead? >> safe harbor. they give us a place to stay which is on the emergency side. we stayed there for a little while and i got to move us up to the transitional side. it is like a little apartment. we have our own room. it feels very said. safe. sometimes i don't feel homeless because i have a roof over my head and my mom and i are together in that room. we have neighbors and friends and their. >> how did you find safe harbor? > was recommended to you? >> yes. >> that was fortunate. thank you. brooklyn, you said your mother now was going to school and got a diploma and a driver's license and is training to be a nurse's assistant. who helps her mother during the hardest times and how did she figure out how to do that as well as take care of you? >> [inaudible] >> can you pull a closer? >> ms. benjamin help us with ev