Last week, Bonita White primped for the prom just like millions of other young women this party season. She had a bevy of fashion advisers, a glamorous gown and ever-present paparazzi clicking away.

Except that this Roosevelt High School senior ended her night at Covenant House’s new shelter for teenagers on North Kingshighway in St. Louis.

Post-Dispatch reporter Nancy Cambria and videographer Emily Rasinki used the prism of prom preparations to show and tell Bonita’s compelling story:

It’s about a former foster care child who relied on the kindness and couches of friends to escape a troubled home life; about a determined young woman who commutes by bus after school to a $7-an-hour job at a Burger King in Chesterfield; about an ambitious student who plans to attend Lincoln University in Jefferson City this fall and who hopes to pursue a career as a crime-scene investigator.

The biggest obstacle she may have faced was her invisibility. A sharp-eyed school social worker helped Bonita on her way. But many homeless kids aren’t so lucky.

St. Louis has one of the most muscular and mature homeless service systems in the nation. Homeless teens clearly are on its radar; the city helped Covenant House land a grant and expand its facility (to 36 beds from 16) at the new location. The facility will be dedicated at a celebration in June.

But St. Louis Human Services Director William Siedhoff acknowledges that it’s hard to get “a good grasp of the magnitude of the problem” of homelessness among teenagers.

Those living on the street can be identified, but there are no firm numbers as to how many homeless kids are in the city. Others — runaways and, in some sad cases, “throwaways” — lead itinerant lives. The phenomenon is called “sofa surfing.”

What’s more, there are not enough resources to help all the teens seeking shelter. A recent St. Louis County study found six agencies in the county provide transitional-living arrangements for at-risk kids, helping them to learn independent living skills. Three more provide temporary shelter and services for runaway and homeless youths — safe havens that provide food, housing and counseling for up to 30 days.

But in 2006 there were only enough transitional beds to serve 278 children; as many as 462 kids at any one time have been turned away. According to the survey, temporary shelters had to leave “1,514 youth to fend for themselves.”

In the vast majority of cases, transitional-living settings represent a fantastic investment of social service dollars. Kids who get off the street often get squared away, so money spent yields a lasting return.

Bonita White is living testament to the amazing resilience of young people. Happily every after may be the stuff of fairy tales, but her story didn’t end at the stroke of midnight. This Cinderella — and many others — have the drive to overcome enormous obstacles. All they need is some reliable support.