Low, the iconic band from Duluth, is performing a rare benefit concert with opener Charlie Parr at Marshall School Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. (doors @ 6.30pm).  This concert is presented by Life House, a local nonprofit that helps homeless kids get off the street, and back into a safe environment.

Life House serves on average 600 kids each year.  These young people visit Life House to receive basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) and to talk to a positive adult to find the hope they need to leave the streets.  Young people like Sarah:

“As I now look back on everything, I realize I was crying out for help.”

Sarah’s father passed away when she was 5 years old.  Her mother did her best to provide for her.  However, long hours at work kept her mother out of the home much of the time and the death of her father left her feeling alone, empty, confused and abandoned.

Sadly, she turned to the streets for comfort.  For Sarah, drugs, alcohol, and violence became replacements for family.  By the age of 14, Sarah turned to a boyfriend for love and support.  They did not have stable housing or income and moved around a lot – traveling between shelters, friend’s basements, and even a pop-up camper with two other kids.

Sarah’s first visit to Life House was in 2007.  She and her boyfriend heard about it through some friends so they decided to check it out.  Unfortunately, Sarah’s boyfriend had become abusive and controlling.  Fearing he would lose her if they got help, he refused to return, calling it “a waste of time.”

For reasons only she knows, Sarah finally broke up with her boyfriend in January of 2011.  After years of torment and surrender, Sarah questioned her ability to make it in the world.  She felt the same feelings of loneliness and confusion she had when she was a young girl at home.  However, this time it was different.  She was realized that there was a better way to live.  She immediately returned to Life House for help.

“I would be on the street, maybe under a bridge or a tree.  I would be hungry and helpless if I didn’t have a place like Life House to turn to.”

Sarah is now engaged in several Life House programs including those offering education in housing, employment, and mental health. She has a stable job, an apartment, and hopes to start college soon where she plans to study Forensic Science and Criminal Justice.

“Life House helped me find my independence.  There is no way I could have done it without their support.”

All proceeds from Low’s concert on Friday, Oct. 14, go directly toward benefiting the lives of the 600 kids that visit Life House each year.  What makes them all the same is they need a helping hand — a door of opportunity to a place they can be safe, healthy, and have a real future.  Simply put …

Homeless doesn’t have to mean Hopeless.

To purchase tickets for Low and Charlie Parr on Friday, Oct. 14, please visit the Life House website:  lifehouseduluth.org.  Tickets also available at the door the day of the event.

Tickets purchased include free food provided by New Scenic Café.  Cash bar will also be available for all concert attendees.

For more information, please contact:

Kim Crawford, Executive Director
Life House
102 West First Street
Duluth, MN  55802
Ph:  (218) 722-7431 x. 10
Email: kim.crawford @ life-house.org