When kids arrive at Covenant House, the first step is to provide for immediate needs, and then partner them with a case manager who will work with them to achieve their goals.
When homeless kids enter Covenant House, they often experience their first sense of hope for a better future. That's because our shelters are filled with caring and educated intake staff who work hard to make newcomers feel safe, comfortable and at home right away.
"We have open intake policy," says Simone Thompson, Program Director at Covenant House New York. "I think this concept is one of the things that make Covenant House unique." That no youth is ever turned away from services is a defining factor that allowed over 55,000 homeless kids to find a home at Covenant House last year.
When kids come to Covenant House, the first step is to provide a kid with immediate needs — a warm meal, a shower, the chance to sleep and a clean change of clothes. But crisis care at Covenant House involves much more than just fulfilling these basic needs; it's about building a foundation of safety and trust that, for many kids, has been completely eroded by a life on the streets. Teens are evaluated in terms of job readiness, educational status, legal status and physical and mental health.
"Kids are here by choice, this is their last resort, and because of this we are able to say to them, 'you must help us to help you.'"
"Kids are here by choice, this is their last resort, and because of this we are able to say to them, 'you must help us to help you,'" says Thompson. That means gathering basic information about a young person such as their age, where they have been staying and any identification they might have. We will even drive new intake cases to the last place they were staying to pick up any belongings they were forced to leave behind.
Within 72 hours of entering Covenant House, every new arrival visits our in-house clinic for medical attention. For homeless kids with no healthcare, access to medical staff at Covenant House is a precious resource. And if someone comes to us with a medical crisis, no matter what time of day, the clinic is there to provide immediate care. Because a large percentage of the kids who come to Covenant House struggle with serious mental health problems, this initial medical visit allows us to give homeless youth the psychiatric care they urgently need. From there, we can assess if an individual might benefit from one of our unique mental health programs.
Kids have little knowledge of their own rights and protections under the law. If we learn that a young person needs legal aid during the intake process, our staff lawyer can immediately provide assistance in obtaining a restraining order or identity changes to protect against predators. We can also help deal with unresolved legal issues that may stand in the way of a teen becoming a successful, employed adult.
Within 72 hours of entering Covenant House, every new arrival visits our in-house clinic for medical attention.
At any point, homeless youth can still choose not to commit to a Covenant House program — we leave the choice up to them. But when they do decide to make the commitment to change their lives, we offer them a room in our residency unit, where they'll have their own bed, closet and nightstand — a home to come back to at the end of each day.
CH staff sits down with each kid to develop an individual case plan, helping to guide homeless teens off the streets for good and give them the tools they need to lead happy, successful lives. Kids are enrolled in job preparedness and/or job training, often begin taking on-site GED preparedness classes, and are provided with a wardrobe of work-appropriate clothing to begin their job search. They join the Covenant House family, where they are offered love, conselling, and any kind of support that they need.