Homelessness – Xapa to the World

I got a phone call today. It was a restricted number, and normally I don’t answer those, but I thought on the off-chance that it might be important, so I picked up.

Plus, my husband was sleeping in the other room and I didn’t want it to wake him.

I’ve had this organization on my radar for a few years now and love it when I have the resources to help out. That’s not often (working hard to get down our debt…so we can be more generous later).

I’m glad I picked up the phone because they informed me about an amazing matching grant that is going on right now.

Covenant House is an organization founded in the 1970s to help get homeless kids off the streets. This cause resonates all the more with me because I learned a while ago that homeless kids are at high risk of being trafficked. That’s true not just in the States, but across the globe…but let’s get back to Covenant House.

Covenant House has shelters in 21 cities in the US, Canada, and Central America: Anchorage, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Managua, Mexico City, Milpas Altas, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Tegucigalpa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. and YOU can make a difference in the life of a child there.

I told you that they have a matching grant – $500,000 to match donations made until the end of the year! That has the potential to become $1,000,000!

Need an idea of what they do with that money? There’s a wonderful Christmas catalog on their website where you can get a clear explanation of what certain dollar amounts will provide.

There are a lot of great charities to support out there, but if you’re looking for one to make your own, I would encourage you to investigate more about Covenant House and then give give give!

By the way, it’s a command of God to help those who are orphaned and abandoned. I don’t think any two kids have the same story of the things they’ve experienced. There are countless reasons that a kid will end up on the streets. However, there is a practical way to help get them off the street and into a warm, nurturing environment. And this is how you can make that happen.

‘Homeless to Harvard:’ Author Taps Spirituality to Help Others (abcnews.go.com)
National Bank of Canada Initiative Helps Homeless Kids (prweb.com)
Covenant House – Donation Opportunity (xapatotheworld.wordpress.com)

Well, with all my Pepsi Refreshing, one of the organizations I’ve been promoting asked if I would be willing to post a donation banner on my blog here. I am honored to have been asked and gladly said YES!

The banner is over to the right, just below the “Tabs” and “Subscribe To” widgets. If you want more info before you give, read below!

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Covenant House was founded 38 years ago with the mission to help homeless teens and young adults get off the street and into productive lives. Most of the kids Covenant House serves are running from abuse at home or they are thrown out by their parents. Many are kids who were abandoned or abused as young children and have bounced around in the foster care system until they reach 18. Regardless of the reasons why they are on the street, the fact is that they are and need help.

A huge percentage of them have not finished high school, have some emotional problems, and have no idea how to get or keep a job. Basically they are fodder for pimps and drug dealers. Covenant House takes these kids in and kind of re-parents them. They offer shelter and meet immediate needs (like a safe place to sleep and medical care) and then they work with the kids on a long-term plan that involves getting a GED diploma, learning a job skill and getting counseling.

Kids who stick with the program are offered a transitional housing program where they are coached in life skills, learn to hold a job, pay rent and take care of themselves. They pay rent to Covenant House for their apartments, and after 12-18 months when they graduate from the program, they are given all of their rent back as a start-up stake in life — to allow them to put a deposit on an apartment and set up a household.

The most interesting thing about Covenant House is that this is not a bureaucratic social services agency, the services are highly personalized for each kid, and they offer the kids parental care and love. Much of the program is about undoing the emotional damage to kids that their parental abandonment has left them with, helping them grow confident and happy with themselves.

Read this story about one of Covenant House’s “moms”: