1 Million Nights of Housing
What does it mean as a global organization to be able to say out loud that we’ve provided more than 1 million nights of housing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? It means that every single day and night since March 1, 2020, Covenant House staff in every one of our houses have worked tirelessly to keep our doors open and keep young people safe. It means that we are living out our mission to provide unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support to all young people who come to our doors. We are so proud to report that Covenant House has stayed open 24/7 and so grateful that we have lost not one youth or staff member to COVID-19.
For nearly 50 years, we’ve kept our doors open and have built a reputation throughout the Americas as a movement that bridges the gap between possibility and progress for young people overcoming homelessness. These past 18 months, though, have been unlike any other. We adapted office space, upgraded technology, repurposed furniture, moved mountains to get PPE, increased our food services by 75%, and continued to engage youth in meaningful ways to keep them safe, healthy and on-track to achieve their ambitious goals. After experiencing so much uncertainty, what we feel certain about is that, despite the tremendous challenges our teams faced, Covenant House has strengthened our model of care to sustain any long crisis.
And, in the midst of this all, we have grown! We broadened our array of programs and services, opened new facilities, and renovated others. We moved our young people into beautiful, new, safe spaces in Mexico City and Santa Clara, and continued building in Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Vancouver. In addition to Santa Clara, two brand-new sites will soon provide urgently needed beds and services for young people experiencing homelessness in California.
Building on our model of care, we’ve deepened our young families’ programs in Atlanta and New York City, expanded our affordable housing program for survivors of human trafficking in New Orleans, and started a new rapid re-housing and transitional housing program in Philadelphia. In Grand Rapids, we opened a new shelter floor for young women. And so much more.
While there still are so many unknowns and the challenges remain great, so too is the love and relentless support we’ve received from friends like you. We owe tremendous thanks to our community of supporters who believe with us that housing is a human right. You are investing in life-changing programs that empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future. We recognize that this has been a difficult time for you too, and we don’t take for granted that you made a covenant to keep our Covenant House doors open to help young people build productive, independent, and sustainable lives.
