“She told me that Covenant House is a place she knew she could come to and be safe.” 

One afternoon I was working in the Crisis Program and a young lady walked through the doors who I had not seen for 2 years. We worked closely together over her past stays and she had called from time to time to say hi and let us know how she was doing. As she walked through the doors and saw me, she burst into tears. I had never seen her cry before and I instantly knew that for her to return to Covenant House and for her to cry openly meant that she was going through a lot and needed support.  

Alice and I spoke in an office and throughout our conversation she described some incredibly difficult things she was going through and explained that she returned to Covenant House because she felt like she had hit her low and felt that her safety was at risk. She told me that Covenant House is a place she knew she could come to and be safe. This is a statement that we hear often. It seems to be one of the main reasons people access our services and maintaining sanctuary for the youth we serve is something we place great importance on at Covenant House throughout all our Programs.

For some reason, hearing Alice say it to me that afternoon really impacted me. In that moment I was so grateful for all the little and big things we do to try to help people feel safe because in doing so we create opportunities for youth to reach out when they feel they have nowhere else to turn. I was thankful that a resource like Covenant House Vancouver exists and so proud of Alice’s bravery to return and ask for help.  

Shared by Krista, Youth Worker at our Crisis Program