Covenant House International

The CovDome Gym is one of the favorite spaces in our New York youth shelter. From pickup basketball and soccer games to weightlifting to enjoying a safe indoor space, our young people always have something going on in the gym. We're able to offer our youth such a beloved resource thanks to the generosity of NBA Cares & the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). One special use of the gym is as our gift-giving headquarters during the holidays. Each of the hundreds of young people spending the holidays with Covenant House New York gets their own holiday present, and the CovDome is the perfect space to spread that joy.

Youth experiencing homelessness know better than anyone else what they need in order to feel happy, safe, and comfortable. A gift card is the best way to let them choose that special something their heart desires. Give youth spending the holidays at Covenant House a $25 gift card, and it will be automatically matched — that means double the presents for our residents! https://lnkd.in/ekvCtHH8

"They still have hopes and dreams, and they're excited about their future. They're just in a place where they don't know how to navigate through this crisis." Our work is focused on ending homelessness for young people. But for CEO William Bedrossian, the fight is about more than just creating stability for the youth of today. Having spent his whole career in youth services, he's seen how early intervention can help people avoid the lifelong cycle of chronic homelessness. So despite being specialists in caring for youth, Bill's goal is to help Covenant House create ripple effects that contribute to ending the homelessness crisis for all.

"Young people have so much success in our programs, and then they move out and they can't afford rent." Our CEO William Bedrossian talks a lot with the youth who stay with us. One thing he's learned is that to actually overcome homelessness long-term, young people need housing at a price that just doesn't exist right now. That feedback is at the center of his vision for affordable for youth housing, where young people overcoming homelessness can live independently at below-market rates for as long as they need to get their feet back under them. The landscape of youth homelessness is very different now than it was when we were founded in 1972, and our new strategic vision will use every tool at our disposal to to help end the crisis.

For their new show Hometown Heroes, The Design Network brought model Nicole Williams English and designer Leia T. Ward to Covenant House New York to do a makeover in one of our transitional housing spaces for youth overcoming homelessness! Episode airs tonight on The Design Network at 9/8c, make sure you tune in!

Every homeless youth at Covenant House will receive a gift this winter. For many, this will be the first time someone gives them a present for the holidays. That someone could be you. This holiday season, we're offering a unique opportunity for our supporters to buy gifts for our youth. You can get a young person a backpack filled with essential school supplies, a new set of professional clothes to help them ace a job interview, or even gift cards to let them choose something they desire most! https://lnkd.in/ejR4JbYu

Building a warm and loving atmosphere at our youth homeless shelters is always important, but especially during the holidays. Not having a family or safe home to turn to for connection and community can make this season extra isolating and lonely for youth facing homelessness. That's why we make sure our youth shelters are filled with positive energy and joy during the holidays. A big part of that effort comes from community volunteers who come help us decorate. Beyond just making the space festive, it shows our youth that there are people out there who care enough about them to show up and make their holiday season a little more cheerful.

Backing from the insurance industry has long been a driving force in our fight against youth homelessness. The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation has stepped up to support our young families program, giving people like Daria and her son the tools they need to thrive. Thank you to the IICF and all the insurance industry professionals who have been supporting Covenant House for many years. Video Credits: Elizabeth Hummer and Christian Simmons, Hummer Productions Rich Flynn and Oliva Forker, ACORD

Covenant House's fight to end youth homelessness is the Nice News cause of the month! It's fitting that their positive outlook on world news is supporting the positive and uplifting work we're doing with young people overcoming homelessness. You can help support their campaign at https://lnkd.in/epcnEH_M

Appreciation post for our new national partner Anywhere Real Estate Inc.! Last month they rallied 60 employees on 10 teams across the country to participate in our Sleep Out movement, raising over $140,000 to help us provide shelter and fight to end youth homelessness. Learn more about what the partnership means for Anywhere at https://lnkd.in/gMWRBvRQ