Covenant House
Encyclopedia
Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless, and runaway youth. In addition to basic needs, Covenant House provides a continuum of care to homeless youth aged 16–21 designed to transition them into an independent adulthood free from the risk of future homelessness. Covenant House offers services including healthcare, educational support/GED
preparation/college scholarships, job readiness and skills training programs, drug abuse
treatment and prevention programs, legal services, mental health services, mother/child programs, transitional living programs, street outreach and aftercare.
, a Franciscan priest, stepped down from his post as a tenured professor at Manhattan College to begin a new ministry serving the city's poor. Joined by colleague Father James Fitzgibbon, he moved into a dilapidated tenement building in New York City's East Village, and along with a handful of friends, former students, and neighbors began an effort to help homeless and runaway youth. By 1970, Father Fitzgibbon had moved on to devote more time to drug counseling and other community ministries, but Father Ritter remained. Adrian Gately, Patricia Kennedy, and Paul Frazier joined him to create the Covenant Community. Two years later in 1972, Covenant House was officially incorporated with its first intake center established at 504 LaGuardia Place in New York City.
Now an established non-profit, Covenant House began to fundraise, using the monies to shelter homeless kids in lower Manhattan and on Staten Island. In 1976, Father Ritter announced plans to create a multi-service center near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Covenant House then acquired a group of buildings on West 44th Street and moved its administrative offices to the new location.
Throughout the late 1970s, Covenant House continued to expand its social service programs in New York City and in 1980 began to branch out to other cities. For the next two decades, Covenant House grew under the leadership of Sister Mary Rose (1990–2003) and Sister Tricia Cruise (2003–2008), opening crisis centers in 21 more cities in the United States, Central America, and Canada.
and, outside the United States:
Covenant House has an open intake policy, accepting every young person that comes to the shelter, 24/7. Youth enter and stay at Covenant House voluntarily. They are required to follow rules including respecting the staff and other clients, and to seek employment or continue their educations while housed at Covenant House. Kids coming into Crisis Care are first offered food, sleep, showers and laundry, and then continue to an intake process where they receive health, mental health, educational, job readiness and legal assessments, and are assigned to a case worker. Youth who do not wish to enter the program may still access Covenant House’s services via the organization’s “drop-in” centers
Rights of Passage
Created in 1986, Rights of Passage (ROP) is a transitional living program that addresses the long-term needs of homeless kids. Once accepted into the program, residents live in apartments at Covenant House for up to 18 months. Residents do their own shopping, cooking, cleaning, and manage their finances. Residents pay rent to Covenant House weekly, with all of their rent returned to them when they graduate from the program. While learning life-skills, ROP residents are also required to complete their education and hold down a job.
Mother/Child
Covenant House’s Mother/Child program was created to help homeless mothers and pregnant teenagers work toward achieving independence and developing healthy parenting skills. In addition to job training and help with securing long-term housing, Covenant House offers workshops in parenting skills, child-bearing, single parenthood, etc... and provides mothers with free on-site daycare to enable them to continue their educations and maintain employment.
Street and Van Outreach
Covenant House outreach vans canvas streets in 19 cities in search for homeless kids in need of help. They provide immediate care and offer options for finding help. Outreach officers distribute food, blankets and often hygiene supplies.
Healthcare
Covenant House sites offer free full-service healthcare, including general medical care, mental health services and addiction counseling.
Educational Services
Covenant House offers GED preparation courses on-site, and sometimes offers scholarships to kids who are accepted to college and are interested in further education. Getting a high school diploma is made a high priority for residents of Covenant House, as it is unlikely that a youth without this level of education will be able to find employment that pays well enough to maintain stable housing.
Job Preparedness
Teens at the Crisis Center are schooled in resume writing, interviewing and job search skills, and coached on how to behave appropriately in the workplace. They are also provided with a work-appropriate wardrobe. Ongoing mentoring, and counseling in dealing with workplace issues or problems are available.
Pastoral Ministry
Each Covenant House shelter offers non-denominational prayer services. Getting back in touch with their religious community often helps young people reintegrate into society. Covenant House's pastoral ministers work with all religions to help kids connect to their faith.
The Institute produces an annotated bibliography yearly, which is a compiled list of resources available to researchers on the topics of youth homelessness and foster care issues.
The toll-free telephone number
is (800) 999-9999 (thus, it earned the nickname "the Nineline"). Covenant House previously ran commercials on radio and TV telling people in need of its services to "call 1-800 and then just keep pressing 9".
NINELINE crisis counselors utilize a database of 30,000+ social service and child welfare agencies to connect callers with immediate assistance in their location. In 2009, the Nineline handled 51,600 phone calls from kids, parents, and caregivers dealing with problems like abuse, running away, and suicide.
founded Covenant House and served as President from 1972 to his resignation in 1990. He was succeeded by Sister Mary Rose McGeady, DC, who served from 1990 to 2003. In 2003 the Board of Directors elected Sister Patricia A. Cruise, S.C., effective 1 September 2003. In addition to their administrative duties, the presidents of Covenant House have been known for their fund raising letters telling the stories of the kids Covenant House serves, some of which have been collected into books. Sr. Patricia A. Cruise resigned her position as President of Covenant House International Headquarters in 2008. Kevin Ryan
, formerly the Child Advocate of New Jersey, became President in 2009.
. Soon after, more accusations surfaced, as four more men came forward claiming to have been sexually involved with Father Ritter. Manhattan District Attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau
, began looking into possible financial improprieties or the use of false documentation by Covenant House officials. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced that it was ending its investigation of Father Ritter's alleged financial misconduct and would not file criminal charges, on the day after after his resignation.
Covenant House’s board of directors immediately commissioned an independent investigation conducted by private investigative firm Kroll Associates, and one of the top law firms in the country, Cravath, Swaine & Moore
. After a five-month investigation, 150 interviews, and the poring over of thousands of pages of documents, their report noted that on the subject of sexual misconduct, “none of the allegations, when viewed individually, can be proved beyond any question.” Nonetheless, the report confirmed, the “cumulative” evidence against Father Ritter was “extensive.”
Their report also cited a number of minor financial irregularities, but added that fundraising was professionally and efficiently managed. Sister Mary Rose McGeady, then associate director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Brooklyn, became President of Covenant House, instituting both financial and program-related reforms.
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
preparation/college scholarships, job readiness and skills training programs, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
treatment and prevention programs, legal services, mental health services, mother/child programs, transitional living programs, street outreach and aftercare.
History
In the late 1960s, the Reverend Bruce RitterBruce Ritter
Rev. Bruce Ritter was a Roman Catholic priest and one-time Franciscan friar who founded the charity Covenant House in 1972 for homeless teenagers, from which he was forced to resign in 1990 after accusations that he had engaged in financial improprieties and had engaged in sexual relations with...
, a Franciscan priest, stepped down from his post as a tenured professor at Manhattan College to begin a new ministry serving the city's poor. Joined by colleague Father James Fitzgibbon, he moved into a dilapidated tenement building in New York City's East Village, and along with a handful of friends, former students, and neighbors began an effort to help homeless and runaway youth. By 1970, Father Fitzgibbon had moved on to devote more time to drug counseling and other community ministries, but Father Ritter remained. Adrian Gately, Patricia Kennedy, and Paul Frazier joined him to create the Covenant Community. Two years later in 1972, Covenant House was officially incorporated with its first intake center established at 504 LaGuardia Place in New York City.
Now an established non-profit, Covenant House began to fundraise, using the monies to shelter homeless kids in lower Manhattan and on Staten Island. In 1976, Father Ritter announced plans to create a multi-service center near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Covenant House then acquired a group of buildings on West 44th Street and moved its administrative offices to the new location.
Throughout the late 1970s, Covenant House continued to expand its social service programs in New York City and in 1980 began to branch out to other cities. For the next two decades, Covenant House grew under the leadership of Sister Mary Rose (1990–2003) and Sister Tricia Cruise (2003–2008), opening crisis centers in 21 more cities in the United States, Central America, and Canada.
Locations
Covenant House currently operates shelters in:- Anchorage, AlaskaAnchorage, AlaskaAnchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
- Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
- Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
- Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
- Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
- Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
- Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- Newark, New JerseyNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
- New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
- New York, New York
- Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
- Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
- Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
- St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
- Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and, outside the United States:
- Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Guatemala CityGuatemala CityGuatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... - TegucigalpaTegucigalpaTegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
, HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize... - Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - ManaguaManaguaManagua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
Programs
Crisis CareCovenant House has an open intake policy, accepting every young person that comes to the shelter, 24/7. Youth enter and stay at Covenant House voluntarily. They are required to follow rules including respecting the staff and other clients, and to seek employment or continue their educations while housed at Covenant House. Kids coming into Crisis Care are first offered food, sleep, showers and laundry, and then continue to an intake process where they receive health, mental health, educational, job readiness and legal assessments, and are assigned to a case worker. Youth who do not wish to enter the program may still access Covenant House’s services via the organization’s “drop-in” centers
Rights of Passage
Created in 1986, Rights of Passage (ROP) is a transitional living program that addresses the long-term needs of homeless kids. Once accepted into the program, residents live in apartments at Covenant House for up to 18 months. Residents do their own shopping, cooking, cleaning, and manage their finances. Residents pay rent to Covenant House weekly, with all of their rent returned to them when they graduate from the program. While learning life-skills, ROP residents are also required to complete their education and hold down a job.
Mother/Child
Covenant House’s Mother/Child program was created to help homeless mothers and pregnant teenagers work toward achieving independence and developing healthy parenting skills. In addition to job training and help with securing long-term housing, Covenant House offers workshops in parenting skills, child-bearing, single parenthood, etc... and provides mothers with free on-site daycare to enable them to continue their educations and maintain employment.
Street and Van Outreach
Covenant House outreach vans canvas streets in 19 cities in search for homeless kids in need of help. They provide immediate care and offer options for finding help. Outreach officers distribute food, blankets and often hygiene supplies.
Healthcare
Covenant House sites offer free full-service healthcare, including general medical care, mental health services and addiction counseling.
Educational Services
Covenant House offers GED preparation courses on-site, and sometimes offers scholarships to kids who are accepted to college and are interested in further education. Getting a high school diploma is made a high priority for residents of Covenant House, as it is unlikely that a youth without this level of education will be able to find employment that pays well enough to maintain stable housing.
Job Preparedness
Teens at the Crisis Center are schooled in resume writing, interviewing and job search skills, and coached on how to behave appropriately in the workplace. They are also provided with a work-appropriate wardrobe. Ongoing mentoring, and counseling in dealing with workplace issues or problems are available.
Pastoral Ministry
Each Covenant House shelter offers non-denominational prayer services. Getting back in touch with their religious community often helps young people reintegrate into society. Covenant House's pastoral ministers work with all religions to help kids connect to their faith.
Covenant House Institute
Covenant House has created a research institute to provide research and public education about all aspects of the homeless youth population. The institute also aims to call attention to and address issues that affect homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth, train leaders in the social service field, and train the youth that Covenant House serves in advocacy techniques.The Institute produces an annotated bibliography yearly, which is a compiled list of resources available to researchers on the topics of youth homelessness and foster care issues.
Nineline
Covenant House operates a free, confidential crisis hotline that operates 365 days a year, 4 PM to 8 PM Eastern Standard Time.The toll-free telephone number
Toll-free telephone number
A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
is (800) 999-9999 (thus, it earned the nickname "the Nineline"). Covenant House previously ran commercials on radio and TV telling people in need of its services to "call 1-800 and then just keep pressing 9".
NINELINE crisis counselors utilize a database of 30,000+ social service and child welfare agencies to connect callers with immediate assistance in their location. In 2009, the Nineline handled 51,600 phone calls from kids, parents, and caregivers dealing with problems like abuse, running away, and suicide.
Presidents
Despite having a Board of Directors, Covenant House's public face has tended to be its presidents. Father Bruce RitterBruce Ritter
Rev. Bruce Ritter was a Roman Catholic priest and one-time Franciscan friar who founded the charity Covenant House in 1972 for homeless teenagers, from which he was forced to resign in 1990 after accusations that he had engaged in financial improprieties and had engaged in sexual relations with...
founded Covenant House and served as President from 1972 to his resignation in 1990. He was succeeded by Sister Mary Rose McGeady, DC, who served from 1990 to 2003. In 2003 the Board of Directors elected Sister Patricia A. Cruise, S.C., effective 1 September 2003. In addition to their administrative duties, the presidents of Covenant House have been known for their fund raising letters telling the stories of the kids Covenant House serves, some of which have been collected into books. Sr. Patricia A. Cruise resigned her position as President of Covenant House International Headquarters in 2008. Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan may refer to:*Kevin Ryan , long-distance runner from New Zealand*Kevin Ryan , founder and director emeritus of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University...
, formerly the Child Advocate of New Jersey, became President in 2009.
Scandal
In February 1990, Covenant House founder and President Father Ritter was forced to step down in the wake of allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, beginning with the accusations of Kevin KiteKevin Kite
Kevin Lee Kite was the first person to come forward with accusations of sexual impropriety against Father Bruce Ritter, founder of the charity Covenant House....
. Soon after, more accusations surfaced, as four more men came forward claiming to have been sexually involved with Father Ritter. Manhattan District Attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau is an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, the borough of Manhattan.-Early life:...
, began looking into possible financial improprieties or the use of false documentation by Covenant House officials. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced that it was ending its investigation of Father Ritter's alleged financial misconduct and would not file criminal charges, on the day after after his resignation.
Covenant House’s board of directors immediately commissioned an independent investigation conducted by private investigative firm Kroll Associates, and one of the top law firms in the country, Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is a prominent American law firm based in New York City, with an additional office in London. The second oldest firm in the country, Cravath was founded in 1819 and consistently ranks first among the world's most prestigious law firms according to a survey of partners,...
. After a five-month investigation, 150 interviews, and the poring over of thousands of pages of documents, their report noted that on the subject of sexual misconduct, “none of the allegations, when viewed individually, can be proved beyond any question.” Nonetheless, the report confirmed, the “cumulative” evidence against Father Ritter was “extensive.”
Their report also cited a number of minor financial irregularities, but added that fundraising was professionally and efficiently managed. Sister Mary Rose McGeady, then associate director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Brooklyn, became President of Covenant House, instituting both financial and program-related reforms.