Covenant House Newsroom

In cities across North and Central America, Covenant House is committed to expanding housing and vital support services for youth facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking even as we continue to confront the challenges of the worldwide pandemic. Thanks to the relentless support of our frontline staff, the amazing resiliency of our young people, and the support of donors around the world, we continue to strive each day to provide more beds, more food, more services and more hope to young people overcoming homelessness, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many of our new building projects are just getting started, while others are further along and will open this year. Below are spotlights on three expansion projects with purpose-built designs. 

Artist rendering of The Gift of Hope Apartments, a 30-unit building at Covenant House Georgia 

Atlanta, Georgia 

For 21 years, Covenant House Georgia (CHGA) has provided youth experiencing homelessness and escaping trafficking a place to begin the process of stabilizing their lives. Located in Northwest Atlanta on a beautiful seven-acre campus, CHGA will reopen the doors to reimagined and new spaces in late 2021. 

In November 2020, they broke ground on their Building on a Promise campaign which includes a new, 30-unit apartment building, Gift of Hope Apartments. This expansion project also includes increasing capacity for short-term shelter housing by 20%, with additional renovations to their life long learning and drop-in centers, increasing vital support services, and building an endowment to sustain CHGA. These projects will allow CHGA to serve more youth, ages 16 to 24, who are overcoming homelessness and escaping trafficking.

Vancouver, British Columbia 

Artist rendering of the second phase expansion at 575 Drake Street, Covenant House Vancouver 

In partnership with the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, 108 more young people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver will have access to residential and support services provided by Covenant House Vancouver. 

Phase 1, a 5-story new-construction building in downtown Vancouver with 28 beds opened in 2019 and is currently housing female residents. Phase 2, a 10-story redevelopment project will include 80 short-term shelter beds plus fitness facilities, an art therapy room, and classrooms in a supportive and congregate setting. The anticipated completion is scheduled for spring 2022, and once youth have been moved into this building, the Phase 1 space will be repurposed for young people managing their substance use and overcoming addiction. 

The final step of this expansion includes the renovation of the current Covenant House Vancouver footprint to add new studio apartments for the Rights of Passage transitional housing program.

Chicago, Illinois 

Covenant House Illinois (CHIL) is currently housed in the old Victor F. Lawson House YMCA building in downtown Chicago. It provides a safe space for youth overcoming homelessness between 18 and 24 years old. 

CHIL is in the initial phase of renovation of a newly purchased building in East Garfield Park, which, when complete, will allow the site to increase capacity to 40 short-term shelter beds (up from 12 beds) and relocate all community service programs to help even more young adults. Up to 20 transitional housing beds will be included in a future expansion project at the new East Garfield Park location. 

During a pre-construction ceremony and hardhat tour of Covenant House Illinois’ new property last year, City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “Homelessness exists in part because poverty exists. It’s a consequence of lack of opportunity, lack of safety, and lack of education and, many times, because of lack of knowledge of someone’s legal right. The City of Chicago has doubled the amount of resources that are devoted to homelessness in our 2020 budget, with a $5 million dollar investment in our flexible housing pool earmarked towards homelessness, and we pledge to continue with such commitment.”