Covenant House International

Last month we had a great panel discussion diving into the specific challenges young women face while experiencing homelessness. RSVP for our next Telephone Town Hall in May to get insights into our big-picture strategy to #EndYouthHomelessness!

Youth overcoming homelessness at Covenant House Georgia have been jamming out and healing through music at their new studio space in Atlanta. WSB-TV sent a film crew to catch up with resident Monty and learn how making music helps him relieve stress and inspires him in his journey.

Not sure how to start a conversation with your middle schooler about youth homelessness? The March issue of Junior Scholastic Magazine features an honest, eye-opening article about the issue that uses actual stories from Covenant House youth to help young readers understand the reality of youth homelessness without making it sensationalized or scary. Like all the articles in Junior Scholastic, youth homelessness is a topic that middle schoolers themselves selected! Young people want to understand what their peers are going through, and this is a great way to help them start their journey of empathy and advocacy.

For Shauniece, working at Covenant House means putting her values into action. It's not just that she wants to be part of the movement to end youth homelessness as we know it today; she believes that giving back and positively impacting others is one of the most important things she can choose to do. She stepped up to make that kind of positive impact at her first Sleep Out last weekend, helping run an event where more than a hundred advocates raised crucial funds by spending a night outside in solidarity with youth facing homelessness. If you want to join Shauniece and be part of the team that's making a difference for young people every day, check out our careers page or reach out to your local Covenant House site!

We couldn't be more thrilled to have Chapin Hall as a partner in the fight to #EndYouthHomelessness ??

9 years ago, a group of friends decided to do some good together. They were looking to give back and create positive change — or as they describe it, "do something our moms would be proud of." They chose Sleep Out, a global movement to end youth homelessness. Their team, The Good Newsers, have come back to spend a night outside with us every year since then. And this year, they hit their best-ever fundraising total of $79,000, beating out 15 other teams for the top spot on the leaderboard! How does a group of 8 friends pull together hundreds of donations in just a few months? According to team member Jack, the formula is simple. "We're relentless," he says. "It's about making sure we represent Covenant House all year round. It's about making sure we've got that authentic connection with the cause. And I think people can feel that."

131 Sleepers. 16 teams. $320,961 raised. 1 purpose. Participants at our spring Sleep Out in NYC gave up their bed on Friday night to ensure that youth facing homelessness will sleep safely at Covenant House. Their one night of discomfort will help keep our doors open and further the fight to end youth homelessness as we know it. It's support and turnout like this that fuels our movement. Huge thanks to Morgan Stanley, our Doorway Sponsor for this Sleep Out, and to everyone who's spending a night outside with us this spring!

We can't end youth homelessness without learning from each other and collaborating with our partners. Covenant House just wrapped up an unprecedented moment in our federation's history: the 2025 Covenant House Leadership Convening. Leaders from our executive, program, finance, operations, and development teams along with board members from each of our Covenant House sites gathered in Chicago, spending two days together sharing the hard-won knowledge they've each developed over years of frontline service for youth experiencing homelessness, and planning for how we'll move forward together to end youth homelessness as we know it today. We were also joined by Bryan Samuels and Forrest Moore, Ph.D. of Chapin Hall and Dr. Ken Ginsburg, founding director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. When our Chief Strategy Officer Virginia Pryor?met?each of our sites over the last year, she heard over and over again that leaders want to learn with and from their peers across our federation. As we launch The Journey Home, our bold new vision to end youth homelessness as we know it, now is the time to make that wish a reality. With plenary sessions and unique education tracks for each group, the convening was the perfect opportunity for our leaders to build the knowledge and connections they need to take our fight to the next level. Special thanks to the team at?Covenant House Illinois?for?co-hosting the convening!

Bill slept out for the first time on a cold, rainy night in Boston. He had been invited to Sleep Out as a new employee of our partner Cisco. As an adoptive parent, the message of solidarity with youth left behind by the foster system resonated deeply with him. But when he found himself lying awake in a cold, wet sleeping bag, the meaning of Sleep Out became more than just solidarity for him. He saw how it was a movement to make real change. "I was getting soaked and found myself thinking of the young people who endure these conditions every night," Bill said. "When I finally accepted that sleep was impossible, I sought a quiet spot to pray — something that always brings me peace. That night, I learned — thanks to Cisco's fundraising efforts — that Covenant House is launching a new program in Boston to create 100 units of affordable-for-youth housing. This initiative highlights what is achievable when we unite to make a difference. It reinforces the importance of showing young people, especially those who may not have a forever family, that they are loved and supported." You can join Bill in the global movement to end youth homelessness. Go to https://sleepout.org to find an event near you, support a fundraiser, or organize your own Sleep Out.

Everyone experiences homelessness differently, but there are extra challenges for young women that make it particularly difficult. This Women's History Month, we're celebrating the strength of the young women working toward better futures for themselves ??