Rights of Passage

However, by the mid 1980s the agency was expanding to other locations and Covenant House leadership started to examine what other services these young people needed beyond just a bed, new clothes and a hot meal. In 1986, a program called Rights of Passage was created to address the longer-term needs of the young people who found themselves at Covenant House.

Rights of Passage is an innovative long-term transitional living program that enables motivated young people to live at Covenant House for up to 18 months while participating in educational and vocational programs, learning independent living skills, receiving counseling services, and developing a plan for permanent housing. The ultimate goal of Rights of Passage is to have young people graduate from the program with the education and training necessary to lead productive, self-sustaining lives without ever returning to the streets.

Rights of Passage has grown from a first class of five young men in 1986 to become a core program throughout the entire Covenant House organization: Alaska, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, DC each has a Rights of Passage program.

Rights of Passage has become a model for similar programs offered by other social service and child-welfare agencies.

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