Covenant House~ Sometimes God Has a Kid's Face

                 

http://www.covenanthouse.org/?gclid=CP2bhbnzgKkCFYwH2godEElZUQ

 Click on the link above to see the Covenant House main page!

Hi, Jean Robb here. 
It's hard to believe that in the United States we have homeless children. 

Many of these kid's come from a childhood full of fear and heartbreak. With no place to go they turn to the streets.  Covenant House, is the largest shelter for homeless and runaway kid's. It breaks my heart to think about any child out in the cold without help or hope. Please see below 

how you can help!

We who recognize God's providence and fidelity to His people are dedicated to living out His covenant among ourselves and those children we serve, with absolute respect and unconditional love. That commitment calls us to serve suffering children of the street, and to protect and safeguard all children. Just as Christ in His humanity is the visible sign of God's presence among His people, so our efforts together in the covenant community are a visible sign that effects the presence of God, working through the Holy Spirit among ourselves and our kids. 

From Preppy to Homeless

Daniel's Story

Daniel is taking advantage of our educational programs to get his life back on track.

Daniel had lived happily with his mom in Michigan. She worked hard to support their family. He worked hard to maintain his 3.8 GPA. Together they looked forward to the day when Daniel would be accepted to college and find a rewarding job. Then, when Daniel was a sophomore in high school, his dreams were destroyed. His mom suffered a sudden – and massive – heart attack. She died without being able to say goodbye to her son. Daniel was devastated. His mother’s death meant the end of everything Daniel had ever known.
Without warning, Daniel was confronted with not only the grim reality of his mother’s death, but also with the uncertainty of his own future. Daniel was left with no family. His only option was to live with his mother’s boyfriend. Daniel tried his best to soldier on. He kept his grades high, played in the high-school band, and even earned a place on the baseball team… all while holding down a part-time job.
But then, during his senior year of high school, his world fell completely apart.

Despondent and depressed, Daniel became homeless.

Left with nowhere else to go, Daniel went to live with a friend in Texas for a few months, then California, Iowa, Ohio, then back to Michigan... finally landing on the streets of Detroit.
This innocent 16 year old boy wandered the streets for several long months, sleeping in doorways and on park benches, suffering through the freezing cold days and nights. Until, finally, Daniel couldn’t take it anymore…."I had a knife in my hand and began slitting my wrists. Everything hit me at once. My Mom died! I had nowhere to go! I had no education! I had nothing…"As his wrists bled, Daniel realized he needed help. He staggered to a phone, called 911, and was taken to the hospital. An emergency team of doctors saved Daniel… and then referred him to Covenant House Michigan. Daniel has been at Covenant House Michigan’s Crisis Center for three months now and his old enthusiasm is showing signs of making a return. He is preparing to take his GED exam and plans to go to university to study nursing and receive paramedic training. He’s also looking into getting an apartment or moving into Covenant House’s Rights of Passage program.
"Covenant House is a great place for kids… I think of it as a safe place where people are actually here to help you. I’m learning to care about myself and, for once, getting my life together…"
Daniel has a long way to go before his life is truly together, but he’s in the right place to help him get there.

The names and faces of some of our kids have been changed to protect their identities.

Donate by Mail

Help us get kids off the streets and on the path toward successful adult lives. Your generosity helps us change the world, one kid at a time.

To make a donation by mail please download, print, and complete this form:

Printable Donation Form

Then mail the form with your check or credit card information to:

Covenant House
Times Square Station
P.O. Box 731
New York, NY 10108-0900

Rest assured that the information you provide to us is safe and will not be shared. For more details, read our Privacy Policy. If you have any questions or comments, please call 1-800-388-3888 or email news@CovenantHouse.org.

Youth Outreach Programs 

Helping Homeless Kids

Our Youth Outreach Finds Homeless Kids Before Danger Does

Every day, in 19 cities, Covenant House outreach specialists canvass the most dangerous neighborhoods in search of homeless kids.Armed with Covenant House cards, plenty of sandwiches, and the offer of on-the-spot assistance, outreach program specialists' constant and reassuring presences earn them trust among the youth on the streets, and the chance to talk about Covenant House. Kevin M. Ryan, the agency's president, called our outreach program some of the most important work we do. "I wish we could wrap our arms around every homeless kid on the street who needs a safe place to sleep," he said. "By heading to where the kids are, day or night, we let them know that they have other options b our day services, our youth homeless shelters, our safe haven. They can see that they have options beyond survival sex, drugs, and other dangers of the street.""A child who spends more than 24 hours living on the streets has an 80% greater chance of being trafficked." Janette Scrozzo, who spent many years heading the Newark outreach programs, points out the life-saving importance of outreach. "A child who spends more than 24 hours living on the streets has an 80% greater chance of being trafficked. We have to get to these kids before they do. It's that simple."
"It seems like it could be a scene out of a bad movie, but what actually happens to these kids is that they run from horrible situations at home, only to find that on the streets there is a well-oiled machine of criminals ready to exploit them, use them and then throw them away." explains Tom Manning, Communications Director for Covenant House.

Outreach Programs are more than Driving the Streets

Covenant House youth outreach programs extend beyond vans. At committee meetings, on Mayoral councils, at hospitals, YMCA's, and community group events, we educate anyone who might encounter a teen in need. Outreach specialists from Covenant House in Philadelphia make weekly presentations in lunchrooms, classrooms or auditoriums about the services they offer. Janette explains, "we have to hit the pavement b I go up and down the streets making connections with shop owners, with cops, even gang members, because they know who is in trouble."

Youth Outreach Extends to other Organizations

Workers also reach out to organizations that might refer young people to Covenant House. New York Outreach worker Kathleen Fenton recently invited workers from the Children's Aid Society for a tour of the Crisis Shelter. "They're more likely to do a referral if they know what our intake procedures are like, and could see a room and the nursery where the babies stay," she said. Tours also show off the cafeteria, bedrooms, and the health services department. At Covenant House in Los Angeles, workers are on the streets every day of the year, talking to young people, finding out where they are if the streets of Hollywood seem unusually empty. "When it's colder, they tend to go into the valley, to various parks there."
Covenant House is part of the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership's outreach subcommittee, where hospitals, shelters, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and other groups compare notes about what resources they can share and what trainings they've attended. "We operate as a giant team in the community, in case we run into a minor we can't provide services for," said Erik Burris, the outreach coordinator. "We can use each other's strengths."

We Focus on Prevention with our Outreach Programs

Prevention factors into Covenant House's outreach efforts as well. Residents and staff from Covenant House's Newark crisis center visited more than 100 schools all over New Jersey last year, to connect young people to services they or their friends might need, and to raise awareness about homelessness. Often, Covenant House residents tell their personal stories to the students. "We bring kids to tell their storiesb to empower young people and encourage them to give back. They talk about what it was like growing up for them, how they got to Covenant House, what they hope to achieve," Janette said. In urban areas, they warn young people against making some of the same mistakes they did, like joining gangs or getting involved in drugs. Covenant House also gives presentations on gang awareness, conflict resolution, and prevention of violence and substance abuse. In Atlantic City, Fr. Steve Siniari visits boarded-up houses in search of squatters, and explores beneath the Boardwalk b street kids who sleep there call it "The Underwood Motel." He also checks out tips from young people in need who are far from Covenant House, like a young disabled man in a suburb of Philadelphia who was living in a tool shed all winter, without plumbing. Fr. Steve was able to find him an apartment in his hometown. Like many young people Covenant House reaches out to, he never set foot in one of our shelters, but is safer now, thanks to our outreach efforts."We can change the world by doing one thing... caring for each other." says Michael Blockson, Outreach Specialist at Covenant House Houston, as he drives the nighttime streets in search of kids in need. Last year, Covenant House served 36,154 kids with our street outreach programs.

Spread the Word

Social Action about Teen Homelessness

Homeless youth easily become the targets of human traffickers, drug dealers, and other people who exploit children, because they so often go unseen by society. With your help, we will raise awareness and spark action on their behalf.
Please use the following form to send an email to friends, family, and co-workers about the Covenant House social action campaign and the simple ways they become a voice for our most vulnerable citizens.
Enter your friends' names and email addresses - you can add up to 8 people:
(Please note: the email addresses you provide will be used to send this one-time message and will not be added to our email list.).

Here is the email message your friends will receive:

Dear [Your Friend's Name],
[Your Name] thought you would be interested in joining the Covenant House social action campaign and raising public awareness about the very serious problems facing America's homeless kids.
Young people who come to Covenant House often suffer from much more than homelessness. Some have been victims of human trafficking while others have aged-out of foster care only to be thrown out on the streets. All too often, homeless kids fall through the cracks rather than getting the help they need.
With so many issues threatening the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable youth, there is a tremendous need for you to speak out on their behalf. Please sign up for Covenant House's Advocacy e-Newsletter that will keep you informed on this issue and help you take action within your community to raise awareness of this crisis.Together with other caring people, we can and will make a difference, one kid at a time!

Become a Covenant House Ambassador

Through the Candlelight Vigil, Covenant House offers a beacon of hope to homeless kids.

VOTE FOR COVENANT HOUSE TO WIN $250K!

Covenant House was just accepted into the Pepsi Refresh project and we are in the running to win $250,000!! We have 30 days to get the most votes and we need volunteers to vote and help promote this opportunity in order to win. Your vote will help provide support to over 1000 babies and toddlers in our mother/child program. This is a fun and easy way to raise money and create a buzz around Covenant House, and I hope you can all make this part of your daily routine for the month of November.
Don't forget to get your friends and families involved too. Forward this posting to your address book and copy and paste the link below onto your personal facebook and twitter pages. I am really confident that if everyone commits to voting AND helps spread the word...we can win this money!
Thank you all...happy voting!
Below are three ways to vote for Covenant House...remember, you can vote once each way, every day.
1. VOTE ONLINE - http://www.refresheverything.com/covenanthouse
2. TEXT -Texting is free with most carriers and cell phone plans.Text 104084 to Pepsi (73774)
3. INSTALL THE FB APPLICATION
On Covenant House's landing page- http://www.refresheverything.com/covenanthouse - you will see a link on the right hand side that says "vote from Facebook, Install the application". Click on that and follow the directions.