Covenant House New Jersey

Short-term housing and crisis care (formerly emergency shelter and crisis care):covenant House New Jersey welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support, as our shelter doors are always open, 24/7. Even when the covid virus presented the worst public health crises in a century, we quickly adjusted our procedures, provided for social distancing, and kept our programs going. We know young people facing homelessness cannot wait for a crisis like this to be over. Their unmet needs for nutritious food, clothing, shelter, safety, medical care, and mental health care require immediate attention. Chnj provides high-quality services and programs to meet those needs, stabilizing a young person's situation, and helping them begin to consider their longer-term goals for education, employment, and career planning. We are expertly equipped to respond to the unique needs of young survivors of human trafficking, those who identify as lgbtq, and those who are pregnant or parenting.

Drop-in services (formerly the community service center):the newark and atlantic city community service centers (csc) are the core of our service provision in north and south Jersey. There, we provide an array of important supportive services to residents and day service clients (non-residents) to encourage, engage and empower youth to move to a positive living environment. These services include case management, legal assistance, physical and mental health care, and through our dove learning center: career development, educational services, financial literacy, social navigation, and wellness all with a focus on resiliency. - legal support and advocacy: at Covenant House New Jersey our youth advocacy center (yac) is staffed by licensed attorneys providing legal assistance to our youth in a variety of legal matters including family law, landlord/tenant, municipal court, public benefits, immigration, and advocacy. The yac also works on advocacy projects and conducts educational groups for youth on a variety of legal topics. The yac has continued involvement in the statewide Covenant House human trafficking study through which we hope to get a better understanding of the needs and issues of youth that come through our doors who have been involved in or affected by trafficking. In the fiscal year 2022, our chnj legal team assisted 288 youth with legal services.- health and well-being: homelessness impacts young people's physical and mental well-being in many ways, and because youth are still developing cognitively, physically, psychologically, and emotionally, those impacts can have deep effects. This is even more the case for young people of color and those who identify as lgbtq, who face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice. Covenant House welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love and absolute respect and provides them access to a range of health and well-being services that they can use to heal and rediscover their potential. Our trauma-informed, resilience-focused programs and services range from medical care at our on-site health centers to yoga classes, music lessons, counseling, spiritual services, as well as sports and other physical activities. Through these activities, young people retake control over their lives, build on their strengths, and nourish their self-confidence.covenant House New Jersey takes pride in its behavioral health department which provides an essential service within a safe and trusting environment so our youth can overcome the obstacles they face. Through early intervention and personalized care, youth are able to approach their treatment with confidence. Chnj provides on-site group and individual counseling as well as access to a consulting psychiatric apn. This extra level of mental healthcare, in addition to medical care helps youth meet their goals and overcome barriers to treatment. In fiscal year 2022, there were 5220 on-site medical visits, a large increase due to our weekly on-site covid-19 pcr testing program and 54% of youth engaged in mental health services.- dove learning center "dlc": advancing educationally and preparing for the world of work are key to a young person's prospects for leaving homelessness behind. Either directly or through referral, we guide youth to appropriate educational and vocational opportunities, matching each young person's strengths and abilities with their career interests. We help them hone the skills they need to join the workforce, become independent, and turn their back on homelessness. Covenant House New Jersey has established an innovative learning environment, called the dove learning center (dlc), to further motivate young people to meet their goals. The dlc uses a blended learning curriculum that fosters autonomy, competence and resilience with a focus on five subject areas: education, employment, social competences, financial literacy, and physical wellness. In the fiscal year 2021, 224 youth engaged in on-site job readiness programs where 97 obtained employment while participating in chnj and another 94 were assisted in maintaining employment while engaged in services. 108 youth enrolled in school.

Rights of passage (rop): Covenant House New Jersey's transitional living programs, often referred to as "rights or rop, are where young men and women take their boldest steps toward independence. Youth plan to live in rop for 18-24 months, where they tap their potential and plan for the future. Here they build basic life skills and financial literacy, participate in educational and vocational programs, seek employment with long-term advancement and career prospects, while working toward moving into their own safe and stable housing. Our staff support each young person on their journey toward sustainable independence and a hope-filled future. In fiscal year 2022, 90 young people were assisted through transitional living programs.

- street and community outreach: street outreach teams actively seek out young people experiencing homelessness who may need help. The team assists with critical safety needs by providing transportation to a safe shelter. Young people living on the streets can receive food, water, hygiene kits, clothing, blankets, counseling, and referrals to services such as medical care, employment, and education services. - behavioral health/health services: the organization provides youths in the program with in-house counseling and outside referrals, however, all medical services are referred outside of the organization.- young families program (formerly the rlh mother/child program): the young families program provides emergency services, short and long-term housing, food, and medical and mental health care to pregnant and parenting youth and their children. The program also offers young families access to free child care services, parenting support, and a full range of educational, vocational, and job placement services.- program development: development services are the costs related to developing and sustaining New and existing programs, including related funding sources. - nancy's place: the nancy's place program provides supportive housing for youths with mental health disorders. - permanent supportive housing: the permanent supportive housing program provides housing to youth and young families through scattered-site apartments, where they receive ongoing case management and behavioral health services. The organization help youth by covering a portion of their rent, a portion that dwindles as their capacity for independence increases. Community apartments and rapid rehousing programs are emerging as an increasingly important part of the organization's continuum of care.-human trafficking victim services (htvs): chnj is the statewide provider of services for victims and survivors of human trafficking. The htvs team provides case management and linkage to resources for survivors throughout all 21 counties in the state. Services are available for all survivors regardless of housing status, age, gender identity or expression, foreign and domestic victims and all trafficking types.-covenant House action and research tank (chart): the chart conducts research to improve and develop best practice for youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking victims. Chart offers training and technical assitance in a variety of areas, including for the qyit, the first scientifically validated tool to screen for both labor and sex trafficking for youth ages 18-21 experiencing homelessness.