Enhancing Public Health and Safety- A Comprehensive Analysis of the Contributions of Covenant House to Community Well-Being and Equal Opportunity
Homelessness is becoming a major issue of public health concern in the United States. An estimated 1.5 million Americans experience a form of homelessness annually, including living on the streets, in shelter homes, in transnational housing programs, or doubling up with family or friends. Currently, 18 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S. are homeless. Homelessness is currently rising at an estimated annual rate of 6 percent (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). This article reviews Covenant House and its role in contributing to public health and safety for the youth in the U.S.
Covenant House is a privately funded leading charity organization in North and Central America. Its main aim is to provide immediate and long-term support to young people who are homeless and have experienced and survived incidents of human trafficking (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The Convent house also provides support to at-risk youth. The organization’s services are holistic in that, besides providing shelter, Covenant House programs help create a safe, loving, and comfortable environment for homeless youth to heal their mental issues, get empowered, and overcome adversity (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The overall goal of Covenant House is to encourage the youth to be resilient regardless of their current and previous lives so that they can build a future of their own. The organization is open and accessible to the youth on a full-time basis with the aim of receiving youth in need at any time they need help.
Covenant House Mission and Vision and Contribution to Public Health and Safety Improvements
Covenant House’s mission is to “serve children and youth on the street and protect and safeguard all children and youth with absolute respect and unconditional love.” Its vision is “To lead change that supports and empowers youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk to pursue a life of wellness and opportunity.” The mission and vision statements have been the driving force and have helped the organization improve public health and safety for children and youth taken under its programs. As per Covenant House’s mission statement, no young person deserves to be on the street due to homelessness. The organization is committed to protecting and safeguarding all children, providing them unconditional love regardless of their social backgrounds. The organization also has the vision to be the leading provider of safe shelter for the youth and create a world where every child feels loved and cared for, and all can reach their dreams. Homelessness among the youth is linked to the current mental health and substance abuse crisis in the U.S. (Wang et al., 2019). Experiencing homelessness also leads to poor social, emotional, and physical development, with an impact on physical and mental well-being (Grattan et al., 2022).
Covenant House, through its sheltering, education, and rehabilitation programs designed to align with its mission and vision, is contributing to improving public health and safety by addressing the immediate needs of homeless and at-risk youth, managing their mental health, improving their resilience, and providing them with hope for a better future.
Covenant House’s Ability to Promote Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life in the Community
Covenant House has the ability to promote equal opportunity and improve the quality of life in the community. Firstly, as per its mission, Covenant House is focused on providing shelter for young children and the youth, as well as those who have experienced human trafficking. Covenant House understands that although an estimated 4.2 million young people in the U.S. are expected to experience homelessness annually, a majority of these are forced into being homeless due to a number of factors (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The organization has sufficient funding from donors, philanthropic institutions, and partners, enabling it to fund its operations and programs.
Although homelessness is mostly associated with adults, youth homelessness is due to multiple complex interactions between social, cultural, and economic factors. In the United States, more youth are experiencing homelessness as a result of family violence and conflict, child abuse and neglect, and drug abuse (Wang et al., 2019). To promote equal opportunity in the community, Covenant House notes that its programs adopt an open intake policy in which all youth are welcome without judgment or conditions, regardless of their reasons or factors for homelessness. Covenant Houses provides care and services that meet immediate basic needs such as clothing, a bed, food, and medical care at no cost. Additionally, the organization is able to improve the quality of life in the community as its pr