Christina Finds Stability and Starts Anew

“Its tough to get your life together when you’re homeless.” Says Christina, a 21 year old Covenant House youth who has been homeless since she was 16. “Things like working and going to school just aren’t as important when you’re wondering where you’re going to sleep that night.” She says.

Christina says she considered trying to stay at an adult shelter until a friend told her about Covenant House. “Covenant House offered me something that I hadn’t had for along time—a bed.” She says now, having spent almost five years sleeping on floors. “It was quite a change for me”

But Christina says that Covenant House also offered her a lot more. After spending a period of her time in Covenant House Crisis Shelter, she is now a part of the Rights of Passage Program, a program that helps kids learn independent living skills while providing shelter for them at the same time.

“The Rights of Passage program has done more for me than just provide a bed. I’ve learned about responsibility, structure and the things I need to know to live on my own.” She says. “They got me focused for the first time in my life. I didn’t realize just how unstable my life was and how much I needed to change that.”

With some stability now in Christina’s life, she now has a chance to look to the future. She has just started to attend college. “That’s something that would have been impossible without Covenant House.” She emphasizes. Her next goal is to enter CHC’s Supportive Apartment program with hopes of transferring to a really great school for her final years of study. “Now I can finally plan for my future.” She says smiling.

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