Covenant House Vancouver

Many of the young people who come to Covenant House are more than homeless youth... sometimes they are homeless parents as well.  We are seeing more and more of the youth we serve having children of their own.  One of these youth is David. David is young, yet wise beyond his years because of years of dealing with abuse and abandonment issues.  During one of our daily meetings, he showed me the wounds that he self inflicted because of the emotional pain associated with not being able to see his infant son. 

Because he was unable pay child support, the mother said that he "wasn't worthy of seeing his son".  After consulting with our Case Management Team, it was agreed that David should be allowed to use some of his savings to pay some child support. 

Today, David went to visit his Son.  He spoke excitedly about being with his boy for 6 hours, and his eyes lit up as I have never seen before.  The impact the visit made on him is one that I’m sure will help guide him on a path to wellness.  He now has a reason to strive for a better future for himself and for his son. 

When he got back, he began singing with some of the other youth in the house as they played Guitar Hero.  He’s taking on a whole new persona within the house.  Before I left my shift, we spoke again about what a blessing his son was to him and I'll never forget his smile as he said; “Now I don't want to hurt myself... for my son... I need to learn healthy ways to cope with stress so I can be there for him.”  

 Tim Boyles Photography