Honoring a Covenant House Hero this Veterans Day

Jeff Schnoor says, “I was homeless pretty much from the time I was born. I grew up in the foster care system or on the streets, in vehicles, or in motel rooms.” His earliest memories in his household include alcohol use, drug addiction, and physical and sexual abuse from family members, which led him to run away. He made running a habit and escaped situations that made him uncomfortable or scared over and over until he made the streets his home.

While living on the streets in New York City, Jeff met our outreach team and grew to trust them because they came out daily to offer him food. When he was ready to accept their invitation to come inside, he stayed at Covenant House New York for 14 months. 

Jeff moved on from New York City to New Orleans, where he once again found himself unhoused. He stayed in New Orleans for nine months and while there, he connected with one social worker in particular who he credits for saving his life and keeping him out of prison. He headed to Houston next, where he immediately sought out Covenant House Texas and resided there for seven months. Jeff worked for years to get his emancipation papers, and once he received them from the state, he joined the military a few months later.

Jeff served in the Marines for four years in the 4^th Reconnaissance group and 16 years in the U.S. Army. He primarily served in the 10^th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) and also in the 10^th Mountain Division (Artillery). He said, “Throughout the 90’s, we were the most deployed unit in the U.S. military, sent to combat zones to support communities in recovery. I spent a lot of time deployed to natural disasters all over the world and fighting the war on drugs in South America.” 

When Jeff reflects on his time at Covenant House and then in the armed forces, he says that both experiences shaped his life in incredible ways. “Covenant House made me into the man I am today. They gave me the impression of safety, and being loved and cared for. Every day, I witnessed in their work not just with me, but in working with others in the program around me, that positive support could make us feel as though we weren’t lost to the world,” declared Jeff. 

He believes his Covenant House experience helped make him successful in the military and positioned him to be a leader at one of the greatest jobs he had as a civilian with the American Red Cross. Jeff’s strength and bravery are second to none, but what puts this veteran in a class of his own is his deep compassion. Never was this more evident than when he was able to marry his Covenant House experience with his military background. 

As an American Red Cross strike team leader, he was first on the ground in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. He felt like it was a blessing to be able to help and give back to a community that saved his life. When the evacuation took place and everyone pulled back to Baton Rouge, he ran the biggest shelter operations for evacuees and helped get 487 children and youth that were displaced to safe homes. Some of these youth had been residents at Covenant House.

It wasn’t lost on him that where he once experienced homelessness and lived on the streets, he now earned national recognition from elected officials from around the U.S. and was mentioned on the Senate floor for his calm and caring response to those in need during the storm.

Sharing this story brings him to tears and he said, “I would never have known how to respond to these situations without what I learned from the people at Covenant House and in the U.S. military.” Today, Jeff is in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives and works. We are so proud to honor and recognize him on this Veterans Day.