Covenant House Missouri
Established in St. Louis in 1998 with a small Outreach program, Covenant House Missouri expanded to a Community Service Center in 1999, where multiple direct services are provided for at-risk youth ages 17-21.
Crisis Care
Covenant House Missouri has a shelter available for homeless youth ages 17-21. The shelter provides a safe, stable place to live while youth work on the skills needed for successful independent living. The shelter operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Center for Youth Project
With the continued support of the community, by the end of the year, Covenant House Missouri hopes to have generated sufficient resources to complete renovations and provide 36 additional beds for male and female youth.
Twenty of the beds will be crisis beds and the remaining 16 will provide additional beds for our transitional living program.
In addition to expanding the beds available to youth in the region, the completion of this project will also provide for the consolidation of other Covenant House Missouri programs, particularly those provided through our Community Service Center, into a single location.
In doing so, we will complete the "service circle," and be able to provide a comprehensive array of services that have the potential to take kids from the hardships of the street to the satisfaction of adult independence.
Street Outreach
Staff and volunteers patrol neighborhoods to build rapport with homeless and runaway youth and to offer them alternatives to life on the streets.
The Outreach team also responds to referrals from the Covenant House NINELINE. The Covenant House NINELINE is a 24-hour phone and internet crisis hotline (1-800-999-9999 / www.nineling.org) answered by trained counselors who can provide assistance to young people in need.
Community Service Center
Resident and non-resident youth participate in Community Service Center activities. Services provided include case management, food, clothing, laundry facilities, health care, job counseling/placement, General Equivalency Diploma classes and tutoring, legal services, fitness, recreation activities, and addiction management services.
Rights of Passage
Covenant House Missouri has two buildings to house the Rights of Passage Transitional Living Program. The Geyer House provides living arrangements for up to eight young women, and The Itaska House, which can accommodate up to eight young men, is St. Louis' first residential program for homeless males ages 17-21.
The Rights of Passage program provides a stable living environment for young people who are working on the skills necessary for successful independent living. In addition to long-term shelter, components of the Rights of Passage program include counseling, life skills, employment assistance, and educational and recreational outings. Rights of Passage clients also may continue to access services from the Covenant House Missouri Community Service Center.
Educational Services
Covenant House Missouri provides runaway prevention presentations at schools throughout the city.