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I’m Katie Couric. Also tonight, a major new series: children of the recession. “On the street, we didn’t have anywhere to live.” Families in crisis. Parents giving up their children until they get back on their feet. This is the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

 

If we asked you how the recession has affected you, you probably have an answer or two whether you or someone you know has lost a job. But what about your children? When CBS News asks parents about that, more than one out of three told us the recession had affected their children’s lives in some way.

 

Tonight, CBS REPORTS in partnership with USA TODAY begins a special series: children of the recession. “We went to the shelter. Because I couldn’t go to school. She is still trying to find a job.” Listen to the young voices of the recession. “We didn’t have anywhere to live.”

 

10-year-old Lawrie and her 5-year-old sister Isabelle spent nearly 4 months living on the streets of Chicago and riding on trains after their parents, a college professor and an accountant, lost their jobs, their home, and struggled with health problems. That was one when you were living on the streets? “Yes.” That’s a nice picture, but that’s a tough story, isn’t it? “Yes.”

 

With parents no longer able to care for them, they might have ended up in the child welfare system. But in Chicago and 7 other cities, there’s another safety net, an alternative to foster care for some. It’s called Safe Families, a network of volunteers who will take in children from overwhelmed parents temporarily, anywhere from a few days to in some cases more than a year.

 

In the last year, request for help have doubled. 9 months ago, Cassie and Toby Eng opened their home to Lawrie and Isabelle. “You get attached so fast, and you want the best for them. At the same time, you hope and pray that their original family can be reconciled.”

 

Some child advocates criticize the program and say more should be done to keep families intact. But this desperate mom believed it was the best option. 28-year-old Shanell Bryant was about to put 5-year-old Jessica and 2-year-old Ethan up for adoption after she was diagnosed with cancer, lost her job, and then her apartment. That’s when she was referred to the Safe Families Program. But the thought of giving up her children was agonizing.

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