Covenant house California

Immediate housing:the immediate and short-term housing program focuses on crisis care and provides emergency services: temporary, immediate housing; nutritious meals; clothing; medical care; mental health services; and legal aid to all young people ages 16-22 who are experiencing homelessness or human trafficking. Chc's high-quality programs and services meet youths' immediate needs, stabilize their situation, and help them consider their longer-term goals for education, employment, and career planning. Chc is expertly equipped to respond to the unique needs of young survivors of human trafficking, youth who identify as lgbtq+, and youth who are pregnant or parenting. Chc's shelter doors are always open, 24/7, and we have provided uninterrupted service to children and youth for more than 50 years.

Drop-in services:there are not enough beds in the community to House all young people who experience homelessness; and sometimes, youth are not ready to engage in residential services. For those youth, we offer day outreach/wellness care, places where youth can drop in to rest during the day, shower, get a meal, do laundry, have internet access, and access to dayprogramming such as case management and referrals to additional services.

Transitional living - rights of passage:chc's transitional living programs, often referred to as "rights of passage or rop, are where young people take their boldest steps toward independence. Youth live in rop for up to 24 months, where they tap their potential and plan for the future. Chc's research shows that the longer a young person resides with, and takes advantage of chc's programs, the more likely they are to experience positive outcomes, including stable housing, gainful employment, and higher education. In the transitional living programs, youth build basic life skills and financial literacy, participate in educational and vocational programs, seek employment with long-term advancement and career prospects, and work toward moving into their own safe and stable housing. Chc's staff support each young person on their journey toward sustainable independence and a hope-filled future.

Outreach:the outreach program actively seeks out young people experiencing homelessness who may need help. Chc assists with critical safety needs by providing transportation to a safe shelter. In vans and on foot, chc outreach workers go out to the neighborhoods, riverfronts, parks, and other places where young people facing homelessness often seek refuge. Youth experiencing housing instability can receive food, water, hygiene kits, warm clothing, blankets, counseling, and referrals to needed services such as medical care and employment andeducation services. Most importantly, our outreach programs show young people that they are cared for, and worth being pursued. Through sustained contact, our teams build trust with the young people they encounter, encouraging them to come into chc's shelters and connect with chc's 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+, as they face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice, and for survivors of human trafficking. Half of all Covenant House youthindicate to us they are dealing with a mental health challenge, and our data shows that lgbtq+ youth are more likely to face these challenges than their peers. Chc welcomes all young people with unconditional love and absolute respect.many of chc's campuses include an onsite clinic space for youth to access medical and mental healthcare services, and sites that do not have a physical clinic have agreements with community partners who visit the campus to ensure youth has easy access to meet all of their medical and mental health needs. Medical care includes primary care, urgent care, immunizations and health education. Mental healthcare services are provided by licensedprofessionals and include both individual and group therapy as well as other interventions youth may need.

Public education and prevention:public education and prevention uses a variety of platforms to inform and educate young people, the public, and government officials about youth homelessness and human trafficking. Covenant House employs websites, social media, public service announcements, billboards, newsletters, school-based programs, community engagement (including through youth homelessness awareness month each november) and training, talks, lectures, and peer-topeer events to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of youth homelessness and of the signs that a young person might be experiencing homelessness or human trafficking.