'Lost Boys' lobby Legislature to fund St. George home

"Smith" was abandoned on a street in Hurricane after going to see a movie.

The 18-year-old boy from the Fundamentalist LDS enclaves of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz., was left there when his father found out that he was there.

"He doesn't want me watching movies, I guess," said Smith, who asked the Deseret Morning News not to use his name. "I decided to move away because it wasn't worth it. It's been going on for 10 years."

The young man has been out of the polygamous communities for five weeks now. On Friday, he was meeting lawmakers and pushing for funding to help the so-called "Lost Boys," kids who have been kicked out or run away from the FLDS Church. Nearly a dozen of these teens came here to the state capitol as part of "Democracy Day."

"It's pretty cool. It's probably something I never would have done if I still lived in the Creek," said Hyrum, 17, who has been out of "Short Creek" for two years now. He also did not want his last name used.

They're pushing for $315,000 to pay for a youth drop-in center in St. George. The "House Just Off Bluff," as it's called, is being run by non-profit groups and volunteers putting in their own blood, sweat and tears.

The home would house some of the kids, while helping them transition to a life outside of Short Creek. Advocates for these boys and girls claim there are more than 1,000 of them. They are either kicked out or run away for a number of reasons. Some commit a "sin," others get tired of the strict codes of the FLDS faith. They sleep on the streets or crash in apartments with others like them. Advocates say they are under-educated and in danger of falling prey to drugs, alcohol and exploitation.

"I have on average two kids a week that contact me that I haven't seen before," said Michelle Benward, the director of New Frontiers for Families, said of the amount of kids still seeking help. "We need full funding."

The Deseret Morning News first reported on the home last year. Generous readers donated furniture to help fill it, and the kids who would be staying there helped remodel the former senior care center. The home opened in October, but can't really have anyone living there because St. George city officials haven't given them the appropriate zoning. Getting the zoning approved has turned into a long and labored process.

St. George city has been in a quandry because it has strict zoning regulations designed to crack down on schools for troubled teens. It also affects the "House Just Off Bluff."