The Community Service Center (CSC) allows youth experiencing homelessness who are not residents to access our services. They can shower, wash clothes, get a hot meal, participate in classes and speak with a case manager. Many youth come back to attend GED classes or receive employment assistance. This provides a place of refuge for youth still on the streets and allows us to build trust with youth who have been mistreated by adults in their past.
Each young person who comes to stay in our shelter is assigned a dedicated Case Manager. With guidance and support from their Case Manager, including regular check-in meetings, youth map out the path toward their futures based on their unique vision and goals.
Our educational program features two different learning communities: An Academic Learning Community, which focuses on general education, GED, adult basic education, and college preparation; and a Positive Youth Development Learning Community, which focuses on self-advocacy, civic engagement, global citizenship, and personal empowerment.
CHGA's job readiness program prepares youth for entering the job market. Topics include how to find a job, resume building, interview skills, professional behavior, and general office etiquette.
The value of this program cannot be overestimated. Employers get the most out of their employees when they have been given the proper job training. Learning practical job skills with a group of other motivated job-seekers is a fun and exciting opportunity.
Our life readiness program provides vital trainings such as personal budgeting, financial planning, pursuing a career-track job, community building, strengthening family relations, and many other areas that benefit each youth throughout their lifetime.
In working with youth experiencing homelessness we find ourselves introducing new services on an as-needed basis to meet the needs of the diverse population we serve. Working with our partners, we can create flexible programs to meet the unique needs of our youth.
Covenant House Georgia (CHGA) Executive Director Dr. Alieizoria Redd and Morris Brown College (MBC) President Dr. Kevin James have come together to develop an innovative program to address the gap in educational opportunity for youth facing homelessness and trafficking in our community. This program is supported by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta via a grant from Eldon Wayne Williamson Scholarship Fund.
Dr. James learned a population of his students were experiencing homelessness and began to seek stable housing solutions in the community, leading him to CHGA. We provide housing and supportive services for young people experiencing homelessness and escaping trafficking through a continuum of programs that emphasize the individual’s personal goals and vision for their future.
Our partnership provides young people escaping homelessness a chance to ambitiously dream and actively pursue their educational objectives.
In its first season, the program saw 7 young people enroll at MBC to pursue a bachelor’s degree. CHGA provided support services and housing to ensure these students remain on track to complete their degrees, which they will do in 4-5 years debt-free and fully prepared to enter the workforce. The innovative program will disrupt the cycle of generational poverty and instability for these youth, changing the course of their lives and increasing access to education for generations to come.
CHGA is committed to developing and implementing programs that provide its young people, 93% of whom are people of color, with direct and timely access to resources and opportunities from which they have been excluded.
Education is one of the many areas in which their youth face disadvantages, but it is also one of the strongest pathways out of homelessness, with a direct correlation between education and income. With 3,300 youth on the streets of Atlanta, the need for CHGA’s services has never been more critical.
