Regrouping and Refocusing at Covenant House Florida

Jackson arrived at Covenant House Florida hoping to regroup, refocus, and find the confidence to make it on his own. He brought a host of challenges with him, but today, with the relentless support of CHF staff, Jackson is proudly and confidently advancing toward his long-desired independence.

Like many of the young people who come to Covenant House, Jackson was apprehensive. Change was uncomfortable for him, and starting over felt overwhelming. Yet, instead of walking away, he decided to stay, and that has made all the difference.

In the days and months that followed, Jackson began to open up and build meaningful friendships. He leaned into the relentless support and encouragement that surrounded him. Staff helped Jackson acquire essential documents and enroll in benefits programs. Through counseling and guidance, they helped Jackson develop healthy coping strategies and learn to extend grace and patience to himself.

Building Independence through Career Readiness

Jackson made steady progress and, before long, moved into CHF’s independent living program. From the moment he’d learned about the program, it had become a personal goal. Now, to Jackson, it’s all about stability, responsibility, and future possibilities. He’s preparing to manage his own bills, shore up his savings, and grow in independence.

When Jackson came to CHF, he had limited work experience and was uncertain about his career path. He needed to come to grips with this if he was to keep on advancing.

CHF’s independent living coordinator, recognizing Jackson’s interest in technology and communications, facilitated a placement for him in an internship with Bonnet House, a historic estate and museum in Fort Lauderdale. His job would be to manage the Bonnet House video education room, which would provide Jackson with opportunities for practical exposure and skill development.

Jackson thrived. He quickly became known for his enthusiasm, reliability, and dedication to learning. Over the course of the internship, he developed confidence, strengthened his communication skills, and built a strong sense of accountability. The Bonnet House leaders formally recognized Jackson’s contributions in a ceremony celebrating his positive impact on both the visitor experience and program delivery.

In addition, Jackson’s case manager and independent living coordinator connected him with Goodwill’s Step Forward program. Through this opportunity, Jackson was able to earn hourly wages for his work at Bonnet House. This helped him build financial stability as he prepared to move into our Rights of Passage transitional living apartments.

The program also supported his continued life skills development, allowing him to further strengthen his employment readiness by leveraging his Bonnet House experience as part of his placement.

More than Dreams

CHF provided Jackson with a meaningful workforce development opportunity. His success at Bonnet House underscores the importance of an individualized placement like this one, aligned with a youth’s strengths and aspirations. It can become for a youth the spark that leads their dreams of independence to become more than dreams: To become reality.

Our partner organization, Bonnet House, played a critical role in not only offering job experience but also, in reinforcing Jackson’s confidence and sense of responsibility through real-time feedback and mentorship.

Jackson continues to advance his independence. He says this next chapter is about focusing on what lies ahead. He dreams of one day opening a comic book store and transforming a lifelong passion into a career that will provide financial stability for the family he hopes, one day, to have.   

He has already accomplished so much and now knows his every dream is within reach.

Learn more about how Covenant House’s workforce development programs help young people like Jackson build skills, find jobs, and move forward.