For more than 20 years, “Carol” lived contentedly in an RV within a local mobile home community. But when the community changed hands, she was unable to make the updates to her RV that the new owners required and was evicted.
For most Kootenai County residents, items like socks and body wash aren’t high on a Christmas wish list. But some local teens don’t have even that much.
“It is a growing trend where we see more students who are couch surfing or just kind of going from place to place but are still able to find a connection with the school,” said Jennifer Shute, registrar at Lakeland High School.
“Margaret” suffered a stroke while giving birth, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. She also lives with post traumatic stress disorder, as well as schizoaffective disorder, a mental illness marked by a combination of schizophrenia symptoms and the symptoms of a mood disorder, such as depression.
“Sam” was just 13 years old when he developed bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood.