Bill’s Blog: Covenant House Leadership Convenes

Bill’s Blog: Stories of Shelter, Stability, and Survival

Blog Eight: Covenant House Leadership Convenes

Philly is my hometown, and Long Beach, California, is my chosen city, but Chicago is where my life changed forever, and for the better. 

As a young professional, I worked in finance in downtown Chicago. I put on my suit each day, went to a busy trading floor, and barely had time for lunch. However, one day I slipped out of the office at lunchtime and while I was hustling back, a man experiencing homelessness called out to me, asking for money for food as I scurried by, preoccupied in my thoughts. 

As I passed him, unresponsive to his request, he called out my suit — which he viewed as designer (it wasn’t) — and called me a name that jarred me to immediately turn around. As I looked into his eyes, for the first time, he not so subtly suggested that my priorities were not straight if I could walk by someone in need, in the total comfort of my own life, without even noticing him. I was stunned. And he was right. I handed him the $20 bill I had in my wallet, and I went back to work. But I could not shake that interaction I had with him.  

Within weeks I was enrolled in the graduate social work program at Loyola University Chicago, the beginning of a professional career that, ultimately, led me to Covenant House and where I am today. I thank God for His intervention in my life through that experience on LaSalle Street in Chicago.  

Covenant House Leadership Convening 

And now, 30 years later, I found myself back in Chicago leading an unprecedented moment in our federation's history: the first-ever Covenant House Leadership Convening. More than 150 leaders from our executive, program, finance, operations, and development teams, along with board members from each of our Covenant House sites, gathered together. We spent two days sharing the hard-won knowledge each has developed over years of frontline service for youth experiencing homelessness and planning how we'll move forward together to end youth homelessness as we know it today.  

We were also joined by our partners at Chapin Hall, an independent policy research center, based in Chicago, and Dr. Ken Ginsburg, founding director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, along with many other partners who were there in support of our team members and the mission of Covenant House. I know we can’t do this work alone and learning with, and from, these thought leaders will strengthen our ability to understand and provide for the well-being of children, youth, and young families in our communities, now and in the future. 

One of the most powerful moments of the conference was a youth panel featuring five current and former residents of Covenant House Illinois, which is known locally as “CHIL.”  

Voices of Our Youth 

More than 12,000 young people, ages 18-24, experience homelessness in Chicago every year, and there are not nearly enough beds and services to provide for this population. When CHIL opened its doors in February 2017, we knew we were bringing a necessary housing solution to the city, and what we quickly learned is that the Covenant House program model would be transformational there. 

Each young person on the panel shared a testimony that really resonated with me. Habi was born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Bend, Indiana. He found his way to CHIL when he lacked stable and affordable housing, and while at CHIL he met Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza during a site visit. She was impressed with his good nature, professionalism, and drive, and she encouraged him to apply for an administration internship within the comptroller office. The internship led to full-time employment working for both the local government and administrative departments, and that experience with politics put Habi on a path to exploring future opportunities in activism. His dream is to become a diplomat for his country. Consider this my nomination! 

For Sonmontez, finding shelter wasn't what changed his life. It was the support, resources, and unconditional love he found at CHIL that opened the door for him to change his own life and chart his path forward. Today, he is living his dream as a dealer at a local casino where his warm smile and charming personality attract locals and tourists to his table. He’s funny and honest and reminds me of other young people I’ve met at Covenant House whose lives benefit from the meaningful relationships they develop with staff and caring adults. 

And, Justus, a young woman who waited patiently for her turn to speak and blew us all away with her brilliance and determination. After facing years of homelessness with her family in Detroit and feeling that her life was at a standstill, she made a bold decision to move to Chicago and create a new path for herself. Justus found CHIL and began her journey in their drop-in center, taking advantage of day services and meals. She then moved into the interim housing program, and last summer she was accepted into CHIL’s Rights of Passage transitional living program, where she'll take advantage of up to two-years of guaranteed shelter and wraparound supports while she’s enrolled in school studying multi-media and production. I love her ambition, and I equally appreciate her openness about prioritizing her mental health. She’s an avid reader and a writer and recently contributed to CHIL’s annual report as a co-author. I’m thrilled to know that the team there recognizes her talents and gave her the opportunity to publish her work. 

Ending Youth Homelessness Is Possible 

Seeing CHIL's commitment to building relationships with the hundreds of young people who come through their doors each year is proof that a safe place to sleep is only the beginning. CHIL’s CEO Susan Reyna-Guerrero has brought decades of social services experience to her role, and her entire team is very hands-on and involved with each young person in their care. 

Ending youth homelessness is possible. In our pursuit to make it reality, we will count on our community to continue to prioritize our shared covenant of unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. It is what young people need from you, me, and the guy on the street in a designer suit.  

Bill Bedrossian is president and CEO of Covenant House International. Prior to this role, Bill served as the CEO of Covenant House California since 2014, leading the site to quadruple in size in eight years. Bill’s passion for working with youth came from his parents, who have been foster parents for over 30 years and have adopted eight of his 11 siblings through the child welfare system.