“You’re a Great Mom”: How Gioia Found Her Voice and Her Future at Covenant House 

Growing up, Gioia didn’t feel heard. As a child, when she tried to speak, her words were cut off. As a young mom, when she tried to do her best, her efforts were questioned. Eventually, the tension at home became too heavy to bear. With two babies under the age of two and nowhere safe to go, Gioia made an impossible choice: she left. 

For a few nights, she and her children slept in her van. Exhausted and heartbroken, she reached a moment of clarity—my kids deserve better than this. 

That’s when she remembered Covenant House. 

“I was very scared, very nervous,” she says. “But I walked through the gate with my kids in my arms. And the first thing someone asked me was, ‘How may I help you?’ I just broke down. Because finally someone was asking if I needed help.” 

At Covenant House New Orleans, Gioia found safety, support, and people who believed in her, especially staff members like Ms. Archie and Ms. Ebony. They didn’t shame her. They didn’t doubt her. They reminded her of her strength. They pushed her to dream. They told her, over and over, You can do this. 

And she did. 

With encouragement and guidance, Gioia grew into the confident, loving mother she always wanted to be. She even hosted a podcast at Covenant House New Orleans called the Red Bean Baby Podcast, to give other young people the one thing she fought so hard to find: a voice. 

“I feel like Covenant House made me the mother that I am,” she says. “They gave me different options than what I grew up seeing. My kids talk to me now. They trust me. And Covenant House told me, ‘You’re a great mom. You’re doing so good.’ I needed to hear that.” 

Today, Gioia stands strong, for herself, and for the next young parent searching for hope. 

Because when someone finally listens … everything can change. 

Watch Gioia’s story in her own words below.