Kimber Discovers a Different Kind of Shelter

Kimber is soft spoken but excited when she speaks. When asked about Covenant House California (CHC) and being a resident, her thoughts come rushing out of her quickly. She’s appreciative of the opportunities that CHC has given to her and she wants people to know it.

Kimber grew up in the foster care system. For most of her life, she’s never had a stable living environment. As she puts it, “I felt like I was always being locked up, just being put in one place or another.”

When she turned 18, she left the foster care system, anxious to enjoy independent living, but she found it harder than she expected. “I tried living with friends for awhile but I soon learned that I needed to take care of myself and worry about my own needs.” It was her grandfather that recommended CHC to her.

“I didn’t want to go to a shelter at first,” She admits. “I was expecting just a bunch of beds with people all sleeping in the same room, but it wasn’t like that. I found out that CHC is a different kind of shelter.” Kimber was given a bed in the Crisis Shelter sharing a room with three other residents, similar to a college dorm. In addition, she was provided with three meals a day. She also found that CHC could help her in other ways.

Kimber began working with CHC’s Employment Skills Program (ESP). They have assisted her with schooling and she is now close to obtaining her high school diploma. In addition, ESP worked with her to help her obtain employment. “I went through job preparation at ESP,” she says. “They teach you how to interview, even how to sit in an interview and most importantly, how to keep a job.”

Not long after that, Kimber obtained her first job. She is now working hard and studying everyday, and has hopes of going to UCLA one day to study psychology. ”I know what it’s like to go through group and foster homes and I want to help people deal with their situations,” she says.

“CHC is a great place. Whatever you need to get on the right path, they’ll help you find it at Covenant House.”

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