Insight
Shelter Is Only the Beginning
From crisis to care: Find out what it's like when a young person enters our doors.
Covenant House is proud to join with communities across the United States to celebrate Juneteenth, a national holiday that is at once a historical reminder of the end of the enslavement of African American people across this country and a present-day sign of unrelenting hope and perseverance.
African American communities claimed Juneteenth as a holiday almost immediately after the last enslaved people, in Galveston, Texas, learned, two months after the end of the Civil War, that they were free. It became a joyous occasion filled with community gatherings. Over the years, it has deepened into a celebration of Black history, culture, and pride.
Covenant House readily embraces every opportunity to affirm the inherent beauty and promise of the young people we have served for over 50 years. Today, more than 60% of our resident youth are Black or African American, nearly 90% are youth of color, and 100% are overcoming homelessness.
Covenant House is committed to building a future where, with our young people and supporters, we end youth homelessness as we know it today and secure for youth a world where they are free to pursue their dreams without hindrance. Creating a world without homelessness is to create a more equitable world and advance the ultimate goal of a just society, where housing is a right not a privilege.
This Juneteenth, we mark the rich contributions of African Americans to U.S. culture, history, and society, and we celebrate our youth. Covenant House recommits to our covenant of unconditional love and absolute respect for all young people and to strive with our youth to deepen the transformation of this country into one of greater equity, inclusion, opportunity, and justice for all.