Covenant House

Analyst Comments [ Back to top ]

MinistryWatch.com’s Take
June 2005
By J. Andrew Preslar

Life in the City

There are two poles to life in urban America. On the one hand, there are the things that most of us see and appreciate: architecture, business, the arts, professional sports – a stunning variety of inspiring, profitable, exciting, and enjoyable places, pursuits, and pastimes. On the other hand, there is that side of America’s major cities that most of us only hear about, cringe at, and try to forget: abject poverty, drugs, prostitution, violence – all manner of demeaning, demoralizing, and life-threatening activities and conditions. The contrast between these two sides of life in the city is stark, and although there may not be visible barriers to speak of, the path from ignorance and squalor to education and a share in the good things of American life and culture can appear to be impossible. Children, are, of all people, the most vulnerable to the dangers of the street. Many of the children who grow up on the “wrong side” of the city are forced to cope with life apart from the most basic advantages, such as adequate food, shelter, clothing, health care and education. Some of them have left or been abandoned by their family, and some have no family. Unless they are presented with other options and opportunities, these highly vulnerable children and youth must be content to obtain whatever they can, by whatever means are readily available, to stay alive. Too often, their choices are such which ensure that their lives will be ones of despair.

A Sign of God’s Presence

Covenant House is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “serve the suffering children of the street, and to protect and safeguard all children.” This mission is implemented in major urban centers across America, in Canada, and in Latin America by means of a variety of programs designed to promote the immediate and long-term well being of young people. Covenant House approaches its social work with a religious (Catholic) perspective. They believe that “Just as Christ in His humanity is the visible sign of God’s presence among His people, so our efforts together in the covenant community are a visible sign that effects the presence of God, working through the Holy Spirit among ourselves and our kids.” Covenant House wants to put young people in touch with the God who loves them, and maintains that the “faith dimension of a young person’s life is very important.” In short, Covenant House is concerned with the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well being of children and young people.

Covenant House works to meet the immediate needs of food, shelter, medical attention, clothing, and other forms of counseling for long-term needs such as education and job training. Programs can be categorized in a number of ways, such as relief and development, outreach and residential, or short-term and long-term. Residential programs may involve a young person staying with Covenant House for anywhere between one night and 18 months, depending on the program and the needs of the individual. Residential services range from a hot meal to job training. Outreach programs can involve a simple phone conversation, a visit by Covenant House staff, or an ongoing counseling / mentoring relationship.

24 / 7

Crises do not occur on a schedule. For this reason, Covenant House is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Young people in desperate situations can call Nineline, a toll-free, 24-hour-a-day, crisis intervention service. Nineline offers “free, confidential, and immediate crisis intervention” to youths in all 50 states.” A team of trained staff and volunteers talk with callers about all kinds of issues, from breakup of relationships to various forms of abuse. Nineline can arrange a conference call with a service agency in the child’s area, contact a local shelter, or simply offer a listening ear, understanding, and care.

In cities with Covenant House affiliates, this 24 / 7 phone service is supplemented by a team of Outreach staff. These workers go out into the streets at night, whether in vans, on bikes, or on foot, to find youngsters in crisis and offer them whatever help they can. Covenant House does not just wait for youth to come to them. Not every young person in need responds to these overtures of kindness, but for those who do, Covenant House is a tremendous source of help, encouragement, and counsel.

The home-bases for these outreach activities are known as Crisis Centers. A Crisis Center is open 24 hours a day to children on the street who need hot food, a shower, clean clothes and a warm bed. Covenant House also provides immediate medical attention for those who need it. Each Covenant House resident is given a full physical exam shortly after they arrive at a Crisis Center. A young person will typically stay at a Crisis Center for about two weeks. During this time, Covenant House counselors work with the youth to determine what their next step will be, with the first option being reconciliation and reunion with their family. This is often not possible, so a plan must be worked out to fit the individual’s needs. This planning stage involves an analysis of the options which a young person in crisis has. Covenant House works with others to find homes for young people outside of Covenant House, and helps the youngsters find jobs or else provides them with job training. Younger children are referred to foster care. Covenant House has Crisis Centers operating in 11 North American cities and 4 Latin American countries.

Down the Road

Time spent at a Crisis Center can determine the future course of life for many young people. A part of the “what comes next” planning process, in which counselors guide young people through developing and begin working towards long-term goals. Covenant House’s Rights of Passage program is designed to train young people ages 18-21 to become productive members of society. This is a process which involves education, job training, and employment supervision, with an emphasis on helping clients find and maintain jobs. Rights of Passage is a residential program. Young people stay with Covenant House anywhere from three to eighteen months, depending upon their level of development. Covenant House provides mentors, training in life skills (e.g., budgeting, time management), and a variety of in-house training programs, including: Computer and Office Skills, Security, Building Maintenance, and Nurses’ and Teachers’ Aids. Covenant House’s job is not easy. Their staff has spent countless hours doing analysis and developing and revising the Rights of Passage program. The basic thrust of the program, however, is quite straightforward: “We ask [young people] to consider where they want to be in the future and help them think rationally to develop a plan for getting there.” Covenant House has Rights of Passage programs in place at 12 locations (eight in the U. S., one in Canada, and three in Latin America).

Students who complete their Rights of Passage program are not simply cut loose. Covenant House continues to provide counseling and options for these young workers in order to help them become a part of a supportive and caring community. To this end, Community Service Centers have been established. The goal of these Centers is two-fold: (1) to provide follow-up and after care for those who have graduated from a Covenant House residential program (Crisis Center or Rights of Passage), and (2) to offer preventative services aimed at contacting at-risk youth before they leave home. Community Service Centers help to establish Covenant House as a community caregiver. Young people who have, to some degree, begun to make it on their own have a place to turn when they need advice. Others who need help, but do not require residential services, can come to a Center and find sympathy, counsel, and a new direction.

Every Covenant House affiliate has a pastoral staff, a chapel, and a prayer program. Pastoral ministers conduct regular prayer services, and lead group discussions on matters of faith, morals, and values. Youth who come to Covenant House are encouraged to “practice their religion and express their spirituality,” and to learn and inculcate into their activities positive values which “nourish belief in their potential for a better future.”

Casa Alianza

Covenant House’s affiliates in Latin America (“Casa Alianza”) pursue the same goals as its U. S. ministries. There are four basic steps to the Latin American ministry: initial contact with street children via Outreach, short and medium-term healing and counsel at a Crisis Center (a few days to a few months), long-term training at a Transition Home (approximately four months), and residency in a Group Home, where children remain until they have completed their education (or turn 18). A Group Home consists of around 14 boys or girls, and is administered by a team of counselors who foster a surrogate family environment in which youngsters learn the vocational and life skills indispensable for independent living.

Public Policy and the Rights of Children

Covenant House’s overall mission is composed of two goals: (1) to serve the suffering children of the street, and (2) to protect and safeguard all children. This latter aspect of Covenant House’s work is implemented primarily by means of the organization’s child advocacy program. This program operates through lobbying efforts, the publication and distribution of books, seminars, nationwide speaking engagements, and special events (e.g., a Candlelight Vigil). Covenant House is a very active participant in child advocacy at the national and local levels of government. They routinely lobby for more government money for child welfare programs, for more children’s rights affirmations, more flexibility in policy relating to job training, greater job availability, and more opportunities for youth who are ex-offenders to find work. Youth homelessness is a major issue for Covenant House’s lobbying parties. In New Orleans, Covenant House and other organizations successfully petitioned the City Council to eliminate laws allowing for the arrest of homeless people. Covenant House also supported legislation and helped draft proposals which would increase the role and the rights of faith-based groups in public charity activities.

Summary and Evaluation

Covenant House emphasizes the principles of “proximity and care.” Young people are brought in proximity to Covenant House through Nineline, Outreach, and especially Crisis Centers and Rights of Passage facilities. They are allowed to stay until their immediate crises are resolved, or at least until a path towards resolution has been adopted. Older children who so desire are placed into residential programs which guide them towards long-term wellness. But proximity without care would be pointless and even intolerable. Covenant House cares about young people’s present and their future. Crisis Centers, Community Service Centers, and Rights of Passage facilities are not detainment centers. They serve more as surrogate families for young people who have lost their way. The primary goal is to develop youth who are capable of being independent – able to work to provide for themselves. At the same time, Covenant House is working to remind us of our interdependence – urging individuals and government organizations to develop and participate in uplifting child welfare programs. To this end, Covenant House affirms individuality and community, personal responsibility and government programs and faith and works.

Of course, there is a sense in which organizations like Covenant House can only serve to blunt some of the effects of deep and widespread problems. But this is not a criticism. Whatever the deeper causes of poverty, the breakup of the family, and our culture’s repudiation of absolute values, Christian virtue requires that we take up the cause of the poor and destitute (James 1:27). Covenant House appears to be doing this. Their programs are on track relative to their desire to be a “visible sign that effects the presence of God.” This is especially apparent when we consider that “the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).