Covenant House International

See schedule o - immediate housing (shelter and crisis care)- immediate housingcovenant House welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. Our shelter doors are always open, 24/7, including in times of enormous upheaval such as that caused by the covid-19 pandemic. We have provided uninterrupted service to children and youth for more than 50 years, ensuring them shelter, nutritious food, clothing, safety, medical care, and mental health care all needs that require immediate attention. Covenant House provides high-quality services 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 solo. During fiscal year 2022, we served 7,700 individual youth in our residential programs, including 313 young parents and 387 babies and small children. We served another 6,500 youth through our drop-in and nonresidential programs.

See schedule o - transitional living program - rights of passage "rop"-transitional living program - rights of passage "rop"covenant House's transitional living programs, often referred to as "rights of passage or rop, are where young 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. Our research shows that the longer a young person resides with us and takes advantage of our programs, the more likely they are to experience positive outcomes, including stable housing, gainful employment, and higher education. In our transitional living program, youth 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. Covenant House staff support each young person on their journey toward sustainable independence and a hope-filled future. In fiscal year 2022, our transitional living programs served 1,171 young people.

See schedule o - education and employment services/public education and prevention programs- education and employment servicesyoung people arrive at Covenant House with dreams that have been disrupted by homelessness. About 23% are enrolled in school at the time of intake. Advancing educationally and preparing for the world of work are key to a young person's prospects for leaving homelessness behind. Either directly or through referral, we guide youth to appropriate educational and vocational opportunities, matching each young person's strengths and abilities with their career interests. Our career pathways pilot program in information technology is helping youth prepare for careers that offer a livable wage and room to grow professionally. Our workforce development program helps them hone the skills they need to join the workforce, become independent, and sustainably exit homelessness. In fiscal year 2022, about 2,800 of our youth were enrolled in school, 164 obtained a high school diploma or equivalent, and 2,500 obtained or maintained employment.- public education and preventioncovenant House uses a variety of platforms to inform and educate the public, government officials, and young people themselves about youth homelessness and human trafficking. We employ websites, social media, newsletters, school-based programs, talks, lectures, and peer-to-peer events across our federation to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of youth homelessness and of the signs that a young person might be experiencing homelessness or human trafficking. In fiscal year 2022, we reached 28,000 young people through our public education and prevention program.

- street outreachin vans and on foot, Covenant House outreach workers go out to the neighborhoods, riverfronts, parks, and other places where youth facing homelessness often seek refuge, and offer them food and counseling. Through sustained contact, our outreach workers build trust with young people, encouraging them to come into our shelters and connect to our programs and services. In fiscal year 2022, we served 3,700 young people through our outreach programs.- human trafficking survivorsof the thousands of young people who find safety and sanctuary at Covenant House, our research indicates that approximately one in five youth at our u.s. and canadian sites 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 toronto, tegucigalpa, guatemala city, and san juan del obispo, guatemala. We also provide rigorous mental health care to help them sort through their experiences and claim 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-beinghomelessness impacts a young person's physical and mental well-being in many ways, and because youth are still developing cognitively, physically, psychologically, 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+, as they face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice. Covenant House 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 services range from medical care at our on-site health centers to yoga classes, music lessons, counseling, religious and spiritual services, and sports. In these activities, young people retake control over their lives, build on their strengths, and nourish their self-confidence. In fiscal year 2022, youth made 29,000 visits to our on-site medical services, and 4,000 young people engaged in mental health services. - aftercare and permanent housingcovenant House supports young people on their journey from crisis care to independence in an ongoing relationship that bolsters their capacity for independent living and prevents their return to homelessness. Our drop-in services for physical and mental health care and educational, vocational, and legal support remain available to many. We also help youth secure permanent housing by covering a portion of their rent, a portion that dwindles as their capacity for independence increases. Community apartments and rapid rehousing programs are an increasingly important part of our housing services. In fiscal year 2022, we supported 726 youth in permanent housing.