Be an Angel Day: Staff Spotlight

August 22 is Be an Angel Day. At Covenant House, we celebrate all the people who give their time, energy, and resources towards the mission of ending youth homelessness as we know it. Jesus Siordia, director of community housing at Covenant House California, is known among the community as a person who, for three decades, has shown kindness and compassion to youth and colleagues at Covenant House.

The First Day on the Job 

Before starting at Covenant House 30 years ago, Jesus had no previous experience working with youth experiencing homelessness. What he did have was a foundation of service that grounded every step of his life. He wanted to learn, grow, and “find new ways to serve and help others,” he said. That foundation led him to work as a case worker in 1996. He recalls his first day on the job, being asked to do an emergency room search.  These searches usually happen when there is a concern that there may items in the room that shouldn’t be there for youth safety. “I thought to myself, will every day be like this? Do I have the chops to handle this?” he said. Although there was some initial  hesitation, a supervisor explained why the search mattered, and that the difficult task was rooted in safety and care, which are core values for Jesus and Covenant House. This alignment of core values has kept Jesus at Covenant House for 30 years.  

Small Acts, Big Impact

Over the past 30 years, Jesus has been a part of many youth journeys in journey out of youth homelessness. One, young woman came to Covenant House while battling cancer. For several months, Jesus and his team walked with her through procedures and chemotherapy, and fellow residents wrote her letters of support so she'd know her community was holding her place. 

She was our resident, even while she was in the hospital fighting for her life, Jesus said. Her journey became a journey for me and my team.

With the kindness, care, and attention of Jesus and the staff at Covenant House, she completed her treatment and continued her journey toward stable housing. She came back as an alum volunteer to give back to youth who were experiencing homelessness like her.

Jesus says, “Being able to walk alongside someone who is suffering and being able to uplift them in that moment, that's really meaningful.”

The Foundation of Kindness

When asked Jesus’ commitment to community didn’t start at Covenant House, it started at home. Raised by a young mother who was one of eight children, Jesus attributes his foundation of kindness to his grandmother — who brought up her eight kids and her grandchildren, Jesus among them, on her own, from humble beginnings, all while keeping the whole family rooted in service to their church and community.  “She never asked for anything. She never wanted accolades,” Jesus said. “Her attitude was ‘they're nice, but they're not important,’ and that's always stuck with me.”

The same sense of chosen and built family is what Jesus has tried to bring to every young person who has passed through Covenant House’s doors during his tenure.  

The Importance of Kindness

When asked what it means to be an angel in the community, Jesus emphasizes that kindness is the foundation for a healthy community. He shares how a simple “Hello, how are you?” can make a young person feel seen, valued and cared for, which is crucial to overcoming homelessness. “Without kindness,” Jesus says, “we lose the ability to build empathy. ”Jesus worries that young people are coming of age in a world where kindness rarely makes headlines, which he notes is a heavy thing to absorb when it's all you see and hear, and you're already vulnerable. “It's our job to make them feel safe and comfortable and give them hope,” he said, “to remind them that there are people who love them, that there is a community that loves them, and that they're not alone.” 

Be an Angel Today

Be an Angel Day celebrates acts of kindness, and Jesus's thirty years reminds us what those acts become when someone chooses to show up day after day with kindness, compassion and care. This Be an Angel Day, we invite you to carry that same spirit forward in whatever way you can. Make a donation, get involved, and help remind young people that they are not alone.