Covenant House Georgia

Short-term housing and crisis care (formerly shelter and crisis care)covenant House Georgia welcomes all young people experiencing homelessness and escaping trafficking with unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support, and our doors are always open, 24/7. Even during the worst public health crisis in a century, we quickly adjusted our procedures, provided for social distancing, and kept our programs nourishing. We know young people experiencing homelessness and escaping trafficking can't wait for a crisis like this to be over. Their unmet needs for nutritious food, clothing, shelter, safety, medical care, and mental health care require immediate attention. Covenant House Georgia provides high-quality supports and programs to meet those needs, stabilize a young person's situation, and help them begin to consider their longer-term goals for education, employment, and career planning. We are expertly equipped to respond to the unique needs of young survivors of human trafficking, those who identify as lgbtq+, and those who are pregnant or parenting.

Street outreach:in vans and on foot, Covenant House Georgia outreach workers go out to the neighborhoods, riverfronts, parks, universities, colleges, and other places where youth facing homelessness often seek refuge. They offer food and counseling and invite them to come to Covenant House Georgia, where their immediate, basic needs can be met. Through sustained contact, our outreach workers build trust with the young people, the first step toward encouraging them to come into our residences and connect to our services.

Transitional living - rights of passage (rop):covenant House Georgia's transitional living program, "rights of passage or rop, are where people take their boldest steps toward independence. Youth live in rop for up to 18-24 months, where they tap their potential and plan for the future. Here they build basic life skills and financial literacy, participate in educational and vocational programs, seek employment with long-term advancement and career prospects, and work toward moving into their own safe and stable housing. Our staff support each young person on their journey toward sustainable independence and a hope-filled future.

Support services provides the following: education and workforce development support-young people arrive at Covenant House Georgia with dreams that have been disrupted by homelessness. Only about 21% are enrolled in school at the time of intake. Advancing educationally and preparing for a career are key to a young person's prospects for leaving homelessness behind. Either directly or through partnerships, we guide youth to appropriate educational and work force opportunities, matching each young person's strengths and abilities with their career interests. We help them hone the skills they need to join the workforce, become independent, and turn their back on homelessness and escape trafficking. Human trafficking survivors-of the thousands of young people who find safety and sanctuary at Covenant House, our research indicates that approximately one in five are survivors of human trafficking. Young people experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to traffickers, who prey on their need for love, support, a safe place to sleep, and food to create a trauma bond with them. Covenant House has pioneered intake screening tools to quickly reveal a history of trafficking that young people, otherwise, may find difficult to name. We meet trafficking survivors' immediate needs for nutritious food, clothing, shelter, safety, and medical care. And we recognize their unique needs for extra levels of protection, including safe spaces at all our sites and safe houses at our sites in new york, toronto, tegucigalpa, and guatemala city, as well as for rigorous mental health care to help them sort through their experiences and reclaim their potential. Covenant House advocates at the local, state, and national levels for trafficking survivors, promoting legislation to protect them and their rights and bringing criminal cases against their traffickers whenever possible. Health and well-being-homelessness impacts young people's physical, spiritual and emotional well-being in many ways, and because youth are still developing cognitively, physically, psychologically, spiritually, and emotionally, those impacts can have deep effects. This is even more the case for young people of color and those who identify as lgbtq+, who face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice. Covenant House Georgia welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love and absolute respect and provides them access to a range of health and well-being services that they can use to heal and rediscover their potential. Our trauma-informed, strength-based programs and supports range from case management, housing navigation, medical care at our on-site health centers to recreational experiences, counseling, faith-based and spiritual services, and sports. In these activities, young people retake control over their lives, build on their strengths, and nourish their self-confidence. Aftercare and permanent housing-covenant House supports young people on their journey from crisis care to independence while cultivating a relationship that bolsters their capacity for independent living and prevents their return to homelessness or trafficking. Our drop-in services for physical and mental health care and educational, workforce development, and legal support remain available to many. We also help youth secure permanent housing by supplementing their rent, a portion that incrementally declines as their capacity for independence increases. Rapid rehousing is emerging as an increasingly important part of our continuum of care.public education and prevention-covenant House Georgia uses of a variety of platforms to inform the public, government officials, supporters and young people about youth homelessness and human trafficking. We employ websites, social media, newsletters, school-based programs, community conversations, lectures, and peer-to-peer events across our federation to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of youth homelessness, of the warning signs that a young person might be experiencing homelessness or human trafficking and how to become an advocate. Pregnant and parenting youth program -Covenant House Georgia offers specialized transitional housing to meet the unique needs of young families facing homelessness in its pregnant and parenting youth program. Residing in the program for up to 18 months, these young parents and their children are supported in building the life skills and resources necessary to sustain their independence with dedicated case management and comprehensive wraparound services.