Life on the street is brutally dangerous for vulnerable youth. Covenant House’s Outreach Team is a critical first step in connecting with youth age 16 – 24, who live on the streets, are precariously housed, at risk, or new to the Lower Mainland. The Outreach Team travels by foot, to connect with youth, offering food, hygiene supplies, minor medical attention, meeting their most immediate and basic needs, and informing them about the services that we offer. They invite youth to come to our Drop-in Centre for a hot meal, a warm and safe place to sleep, a shower, or anything else that they may want or need.
Our Outreach Team builds trust with young people, which can lead to youth visiting our Drop-in Centre — which is the first step in helping youth bridge the gap from possibility to progress. The Outreach Team meet young people where they are and lets them know they are not alone, and that there are trustworthy and supportive people who want to help them.
Covenant House is a supportive and nurturing place with programs and services that provide youth with the tools, resources, and programs that meet them where they are and help them work towards building a brighter future. Our Outreach Team is trained to connect youth to psychiatrists, medical professionals, and social workers, as well as our Crisis Program, should youth require supportive housing.
At the Drop-In Centre, youth workers, social workers and housing support workers provide an array of as-needed services to young people, age 16 to 24.
At our Drop-In Centre, youth receive:
- connections to youth workers for support, counselling, and personal planning
- access to an in-house addictions counsellor and programs focused on support and recovery
- appointments with mental health clinicians and psychiatrists
- help from a housing support worker and independent living start-up kits
- referrals to other social services
- help with finding employment, referrals to job centres, and training programs
- financial assistance to get back home, if that’s an option
- recreational opportunities including yoga, soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball
- food, clothing, and hygiene supplies
- access to our message board, long-distance phone plan, and mailing address
- access to shower and laundry facilities
We can’t help homeless and at-risk youth without you. Every night, 500 – 1,000 youth sleep on the streets, with no place to call home. Your support makes it possible for our Outreach Team to go out into the community and connect with youth. Here, the Team develops meaningful relationships that create a safe, trusting bond where youth will feel comfortable enough to access our Drop-In Centre, where they can get out of the cold, find a place to rest, nourish themselves with a hot meal, and get cleaned up with a hot shower. Our Outreach staff continue to be a consistent and supportive presence in young people’s lives, enabling them to participate in our programs and get access to the services they need.