Covenant House Newsroom

“For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”    -Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 On Monday, Jan. 18, Covenant House will celebrate the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King was a tireless champion for impoverished and overlooked communities, and organizations like ours stand on his shoulders.

 During Monday’s National Day of Service in honor of Dr. King, every American has the opportunity to serve, to volunteer, and meet the challenge Dr. King put to us all when he said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is … what you are doing for others.”

 Covenant House is honored to be one of 22 organizations selected by the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) for special support by the American people in activities leading up to Inauguration Day.  One way Americans can choose to serve on Monday is by participating in Covenant House’s Sleep Out America, a national movement of people who voluntarily give up their beds for one night and sleep on apartment floors, in backyards, or wherever it is safe in solidarity with young people overcoming homelessness at Covenant House.

Sleep Out America is a movement of inclusion and solidarity with our heroic Covenant House frontline staff and the resilient young people in our care who continue to strive each day to overcome homelessness.

Dr. King once wrote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Covenant House empowers young people to overcome homelessness and trafficking, and find hope and progress by strengthening their resilience through relentless support, absolute respect, and unconditional love.

In the spirit of Dr. King, our doors are always open to all young people who need housing and help, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Our trauma-informed services help bridge the gap between potential and progress, and we also advocate for systemic change through public policy, while promoting awareness of critical issues related to youth homelessness.

 In a Christmas sermon in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1967, Dr. King said, "If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective."

It is our hope that the National Day of Service will bring more people together in our movement to be love in the world for all young people experiencing homelessness. “Anybody can serve,” Dr. King urged. “You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.