Healing Unhoused Youth, Covenant House, Georgia

Todd Wilcher, MA, CTRS, will share his work with Covenant House, Georgia. Covenant House provides services to unhoused youth. Their Crisis Shelter, the P.J. Garcia Youth Shelter, serves as a home for up to 60 youths ages 18-24. Youth can find a safe place to stay and wraparound support for 30-90 days. Youth who stay in the shelter work with a case manager to create a plan for their future. At Covenant House Georgia, youth have access to hot meals and showers, medical and mental health care, job readiness programs, GED and college admissions support, life skills classes, and a community of people who show them absolute respect and unconditional love. Covenant House provides a haven and more. Unhoused youth face an array of challenges. Their lives have not been easy, as statistics demonstrate that: • 49% of youth experiencing homelessness have been sexually exploited. • 40% of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBT. • 42% of youth experiencing homelessness have experienced abuse as a child. • A 19% unemployment rate for 16-19-year-olds is higher for at-risk youth, increasing their risk of being unhoused.