Outreach Programs Connect with Homeless Kids

Finding Homeless Kids Before Danger Does

Every day, in 19 cities, Covenant House outreach specialists canvas the most dangerous neighborhoods in search of homeless kids.

Armed with Covenant House cards, plenty of sandwiches, and the offer of on-the-spot assistance, outreach specialists' constant and reassuring presences earn them trust among the youth on the streets, and the chance to talk about Covenant House.

Kevin M. Ryan, the agency's president, called outreach some of the most important work we do. "I wish we could wrap our arms around every homeless kid on the street who needs a safe place to sleep," he said. "By heading to where the kids are, day or night, we let them know that they have other options — our day services, our shelters, our safe haven. They can see that they have options beyond survival sex, drugs, and other dangers of the street."

Janette Scrozzo, who spent many years heading the Newark outreach programs, points out the life-saving importance of outreach. "A child who spends more than 24 hours living on the streets has an 80% greater chance of being trafficked. We have to get to these kids before they do. It's that simple."

"It seems like it could be a scene out of a bad movie, but what actually happens to these kids is that they run from horrible situations at home, only to find that on the streets there is a well-oiled machine of criminals ready to exploit them, use them and then throw them away." explains Tom Manning, Communications Director for Covenant House.

Outreach Programs are more than Driving the Streets

Covenant House outreach extends beyond vans. At committee meetings, on Mayoral councils, at hospitals, YMCA's, and community group events, we educate anyone who might encounter a teen in need. Outreach specialists from Covenant House in Philadelphia make weekly presentations in lunchrooms, classrooms or auditoriums about the services they offer. "We do run into kids definitely who need shelter and they come in, or maybe give our card to a friend who dropped out and is interested in getting their GED," said outreach manager Carl Hill. Outreach workers also travel with a list of ten open jobs, so they can have longer conversations with kids on the street, and start helping give them what they are looking for, before they even set foot in the shelter.

Janette explains, "we have to hit the pavement — I go up and down the streets making connections with shop owners, with cops, even gang members, because they know who is in trouble."

Youth Outreach Extends to other Organizations

Workers also reach out to organizations that might refer young people to Covenant House. New York Outreach worker Kathleen Fenton recently invited workers from the Children's Aid Society for a tour of the Crisis Shelter. "They're more likely to do a referral if they know what our intake procedures are like, and could see a room and the nursery where the babies stay," she said. Tours also show off the cafeteria, bedrooms, and the health services department.

At Covenant House in Los Angeles, workers are on the streets every day of the year, talking to young people, finding out where they are if the streets of Hollywood seem unusually empty. "When it's colder, they tend to go into the valley, to various parks there."

Covenant House is part of the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership's outreach subcommittee, where hospitals, shelters, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and other groups compare notes about what resources they can share and what trainings they've attended.

We operate as a giant team in the community, in case we run into a minor we can't provide services for," said Erik Burris, the outreach coordinator. "We can use each other's strengths."

We Focus on Prevention with our Outreach Programs

Prevention factors into Covenant House's outreach efforts as well. Residents and staff from Covenant House's Newark crisis center visited more than 100 schools all over New Jersey last year, to connect young people to services they or their friends might need, and to raise awareness about homelessness. Often, Covenant House residents tell their personal stories to the students.

"We bring kids to tell their stories—to empower young people and encourage them to give back. They talk about what it was like growing up for them, how they got to Covenant House, what they hope to achieve," Janette said. In urban areas, they warn young people against making some of the same mistakes they did, like joining gangs or getting involved in drugs. Covenant House also gives presentations on gang awareness, conflict resolution, and prevention of violence and substance abuse.

"In suburban communities it's about telling young people it's not just the old man with a brown paper bag who's homeless, it's young people who look just like them. When I put my Covenant House kids next to you, I can't tell who's homeless."

In Atlantic City, Fr. Steve Siniari visits boarded-up houses in search of squatters, and explores beneath the Boardwalk — street kids who sleep there call it "The Underwood Motel."

He also checks out tips from young people in need who are far from Covenant House, like a young disabled man in a suburb of Philadelphia who was living in a tool shed all winter, without plumbing. Fr. Steve was able to find him an apartment in his hometown. Like many young people Covenant House reaches out to, he never set foot in one of our shelters, but is safer now, thanks to our outreach efforts.

"We can change the world by doing one thing... caring for each other." says Michael Blockson, Outreach Specialist at Covenant House Houston, as he drives the nighttime streets in search of kids in need.

Last year, Covenant House served 36,154 kids with outreach programs.