Covenant House California

Permanent supportive housing:the permanent supportive housing program provides permanent 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 diminishes as their capacity for independence increases. Covenant house seeks to promote different models of affordable-for-youth housing, that is, housing that youth can afford on their limited, entry-level salaries. To that end, we also have built, own, and operate units that have rent requirements but no time restrictions, so young people can remain safely housed while they build their capacity for the home to which they aspire. Community apartments and rapid rehousing programs are an increasingly important part of our housing 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.

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.

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, those who identify as lgbtq+, and for survivors of human trafficking. Half of all covenant house youth indicate 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 licensed professionals 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.

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 and education 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.