A Teen Girl's Life on the Street

Jan. 28, 2011 — -- It was dark and cold in downtown Portland, Ore. Lying on a tattered sleeping bag on Southwest 3rd Avenue was 15-year-old Taylor.

In November, 2009, she was one of hundreds of young people living on this city's streets every year, according to Jani Morton, a case manager for Janus Youth Programs.

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Taylor was high. Her pupils were dilated and she was shivering from the cold. This was Taylor's life, day in and day out.

Over a year ago, "20/20" took its first trip to the Pacific Northwest to find out why it had the highest rate of homelessness in the country and what we found were youth who were resilient and strong.

There are over 2 million homeless youth reported in this country every year. Being without a permanent home doesn't necessarily mean not having a roof over their heads -- some teens "couch surf," staying with friends, while others stay in shelters.

Watch more teens' stories on the latest full episode of "20/20."

But some, like Taylor, actually live on the street.

In an interview with "20/20" anchor Chris Cuomo, Taylor said that her life on the streets reflected what she witnessed as a child -- a life full of pain, alcohol and drugs.

"I just did not like my stepdad at all and he didn't like me. He treated me like I was nothing, like a dog or a rat, or something," she said, "And then, my mom was always drunk in the bathroom."

Taylor's street name is "Squirrel Nuts," because she likes the taste of acorns and has a reputation on the street for being volatile and confrontational.

She said she left home at 13 and began to fend for herself, using any drugs and alcohol she could find to self medicate.

She said that, most of the time, the street life was better than life with her mother.

"I had people there that seemed like they cared about me that took care of me," she said.

But Taylor still had mixed emotions about her situation.

"Even though you have friends and everything, I don't know what it is, it's that feeling. It's that lonely feeling. It's hard to explain. You're lost and nobody knows how to find you or where to go to get you," she said.

Talia Matthias, a case worker for Maslow Project in Medford, Ore., did not work with Taylor but has worked with other kids who, as bizarre as it may seem to outsiders, find living on the streets feels safer than in their own homes.

"They're choosing to be safe in the sense that their instinct tells them that their home is not safe," Mathias said. "And although we could give a list of reasons why the streets are not safe for them, to them it's much better than going home."