Covenant House Pennsylvania

Short-term housing and crisis care (immediate housing):covenant House Pennsylvania (chpa) welcomes all young people facing homelessness with unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support, and our shelter doors are always open. Even during the worst public health crisis in a century, we quickly adjusted our procedures, provided for social distancing, and kept our programs going. We know young people experiencing homelessness can't 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. Chpa provides high-quality services and programs to meet those needs, stabilize a young person's situation, and help 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. Chpa's largest program is the shelter located at 31 e. armat street in the germantown section of philadelphia. The shelter has the capacity to House 76 youth aged 21 and Under. Youth can access the shelter 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through an open intake process. Beyond emergency shelter at this location, chpa provides transitional housing, food, case management, educational and vocational support along with medical and mental health services. During fy23, chpa reached 1,032 young people across core programs and services. We provided 21,796 nights of housing, served 338 youth in residential programs, moved 78 youth to stable housing and 38 youth slept in a chpa bed each night, on average.

Outreach and drop-in centers:in vans and on foot, chpa outreach workers in philadelphia and york go out to the neighborhoods, barrios, waterfronts, parks, and other places where youth facing homelessness often seek refuge. They offer food, water, essential supplies, counseling and invite them to come to chpa, where their immediate, basic needs can be met. Through relentless engagement, our outreach workers build trust with the young people, the first step toward encouraging them to come into chpa and connect to our services. Transportation is provided as needed to a chpa shelter or other services such as a hospital. Street outreach is conducted throughout philadelphia 5 nights a week. For many reasons, not all youth experiencing homelessness are ready or able to be housed. Often, there are not enough beds in the community to House them. Chpa's york program is a combination of emergency shelter and drop-in center where young people can rest during the day, shower, eat a nourishing meal, do laundry, and access the internet. They can also access day-programming, case management and referrals to additional services. During fy23, chpa served 65 youth for drop-in services.

Transitional living program - rights of passage (rop):chpa's transitional living program, rights of passage (rop), offers youth opportunities to take their boldest steps toward independence. Youth live in rop for up to 18 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, and work toward moving into their own safe and stable housing. Our staff supports each person on their journey toward sustainable independence and a hope-filled future. Chpa's transitional housing program operates from a 20-bed facility located at 2625 kensington avenue.

Permanent supportive housing:this program provides housing to youth and young families through scattered-site apartments, where they receive ongoing case management and behavioral health services. Covenant House helps 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 Covenant House's continuum of care.

Education and employment services:young people arrive at chpa with dreams that have been disrupted by homelessness. Only about 19% are enrolled in school at the time of intake. Advancing education and preparing for the world of work are key to a young person's prospects for leaving homelessness behind. At chpa a basic assessment is provided to each youth who requests services. This assessment helps to determine if youth are able to work, receive vocational training, pursue high school or ged classes, or attend college. Once the assessment is complete, staff and youth work together to identify the appropriate service referrals. The staff work closely with each youth to complete any referral forms and to follow up with agencies. Chpa collaborates with various educational and vocational programs throughout the philadelphia area. 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 empower them to hone the skills they need to join the workforce, become independent, and find long-term success. During fy23, 176 youth were engaged in on-site job readiness services, youth gained or maintained employment, and youth were enrolled in school as a result of support they received from chpa.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 black, indigenous and people of color (bipoc) and those who identify as lgbtq, who face unique challenges associated with racism and prejudice. At chpa, at least 84% of youth who access residential services self-identify as bipoc, 25% identify as lgbtq, and 5% identify as transgender or other. Youth come to cpha with diverse lived experiences: 78% cope with mental health challenges, 41% have a history in foster care, and 36% are survivors of domestic violence. Chpa 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, religious and spiritual services, and sports. In these activities, young people retake control over their lives, build on their strengths, and nourish their self-confidence. During fy23, 144 youth engaged in mental health services, 176 youth received health services, and chpa provided 438 onsite medical visits.