Covenant House Texas

Rights of Passage (ROP) is a transitional living program with capacity for up to 48 non-parenting youth, ages 18-21. This program is designed to give young men and women the tools to become independent, productive members of society. Residents are required to work or go to school, must do household chores, and pay a small portion of their earnings for rent that is returned to them as "savings" upon program completion. After six months in the program, qualified youth may apply for the Rights of Passage Apartment Living Program(ROPAL)off-site in an apartment. With CHT as a co-signer for the apartment, young adults progress toward independence over the course of one year by paying a gradually increasing portion of the rent.

CHT's C. Richard Stasney Medical Clinic offers free medical care to homeless youth under age 21. Services include physical exams, treatment for acute and chronic illnesses, prenatal care, HIV/AIDS and STD testing, and referrals to specialists. The medical clinic also partners with community organizations to provide vision screenings and dental care. CHT also provides comprehensive mental health services. Those assessed with mental health disorders have access to individual, group, and family counseling; evaluations and treatment; and educational programs on topics such as depression and suicide prevention. A psychiatrist is also onsite to evaluate and prescribe psychotropic medications. A substance abuse assessment is administered to all youth entering the Crisis Shelter. CHT's Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) scores the assessments and provides substance abuse counseling and abstinence support. The LCDC also facilitates an addiction support group, titled, CHAMPS.

For youth who have not completed their high school education, CHT offers on-site assistance to help them earn a General Education Development (GED) certificate. In preparation for the GED exam, youth have access to a self-paced tutorial program available in the CHT computer lab combined with hands-on tutoring from staff and volunteers. All CHT youth are required to be enrolled in school, employed, or actively searching for employment. To help youth become stable through employment, CHT offers job readiness and maintenance training programs, as well as vocational training programs designed to prepare youth for jobs that provide a livable wage and offer advancement opportunities. Finally, life skills training provides the basic knowledge and skills young people need to establish independent living patterns. Classes such as money management, apartment hunting, nutrition, and developing healthy relationships prepare young people for independence and self-sufficiency.

The Street Outreach Program reaches out to homeless youth living on the streets of Houston. Five nights a week, staff, CHT youth, and trained volunteers travel Houston's streets in the outreach van, offering food, clothing, blankets, and information. In addition, the Covenant House outreach team encourages homeless youth to seek safe appropriate shelter at CHT or other homeless shelters. The CHT Prevention Program, titled Peers Educating Peers, is a unique program that seeks to decrease factors that make youth vulnerable to homelessness. The Prevention Specialist and Peer Outreach Workers, CHT youth who have been trained to educate their peers, conduct prevention workshops with youth who have been identified by school as at-risk for homelessness. Workshops address issue such as teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol, anger management, self-esteem, and developing healthy relationships. Together the outreach and prevention programs decrease youth homelessness on the streets of Houston.