Recently we had such a beautiful outing with a group of young men from our Crisis Program. The Aquatic Center was closed but they cheerfully decided to walk all the way to English Bay for a sunset swim. It was ... Read more

Earlier this year we had a youth stay with us named Larry. He told us that he had a hard upbringing and did not have a lot growing up. He had been with us for a couple of months at the Crisis Program but did not ... Read more

One evening at our Crisis Program I brought in one of my favourite movies “Freedom Writers” and asked if there were any youth who would like to watch it.  We had a small group of six girls, and we watched the movie in our Drop-In ... Read more

On the weekends at our Crisis Program, we always do our best to engage the youth in fun activities. This past weekend, we decided to challenge the youth to see who could build the tallest tower with specific supplies. The ... Read more

Some nights at Covenant House Vancouver are as peaceful and quiet as a night in any home. Others can be a relentless exercise in immediacy that see us managing crises both inside the Crisis Program and out. On one such night, after some intense conversations and ... Read more

One day I was sitting in the living room with several girls in the Drake Crisis Program. They were having fun chatting and doing each other’s makeup and one girl offered to do makeup for a youth, Eve, who was beginning the process of transitioning from male to ... Read more

One of my passions outside of being a youth worker is hair. I like styling hair, seeing how others do their hair and getting my hair done. One day a young woman living in our Crisis Program named Adele asked me if I would braid her hair. I ... Read more

A few months ago, a new youth came to our male Crisis Program after being referred to us by a community member. He arrived in the middle of the night and was exhausted and very hungry. We got him a meal ... Read more

When Annika first came to the Crisis Program she was struggling with addiction, fleeing domestic violence and had lost custody of her daughter. Annika did not trust anyone and often found herself in confrontations with staff members and other youth. Over time I was able to build and maintain a trusting relationship ... Read more

Samantha arrived at Covenant House Vancouver’s Crisis Program a few months ago. She was previously living with her mother on the streets of Vancouver after being evicted from their SRO (Single Room Occupancy Unit). Samantha had taken on the caregiving role as her mother struggles with substance misuse and ... Read more