St. Louis Review - September 2008

Covenant House staff doesn't give up on kids
"Coming in here, you don’t know how much responsibility it takes to live on your own and how much you need guidance and structure," she said.

At first she didn’t agree with the rules, but now adds, "I understand and appreciate the way things are. I came from doing anything I wanted. The structure here seemed wrong, but now it’s helping me get it together because I have to juggle going to work and school."

Eikerenkoetter is in the process of obtaining her GED (high school equivalency degree), and enjoys the one-on-one attention she receives. She is looking at colleges and wants to get a psychology degree because "I want to do what they’re doing — helping troubled youth get off the streets and mentor them."

Her background, she noted, provides her with insight into their situation. Already she is trying to lead others at the center in the right direction.

Her plans are to stay at Covenant House about two years, saving money so she can get an apartment.

Before finding help at Covenant House, Eikerenkoetter was part of a growing population of homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 21. Last year Covenant House Missouri helped more than 3,500 through day and residential services — comprehensive programs designed to help them turn their lives around.

In June, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke dedicated the new Covenant House Missouri Center for Youth in North St. Louis. It has 16 transitional living beds, 20 crisis beds — the first in the city for homeless youths — and support services, including job training, recreational activities, literacy and GED classes, substance abuse education and advocacy.

A building adjacent to the center contains a gymnasium and performance and meeting space. All outreach, prevention, legal advocacy and administrative services now are in one location.

Prior to opening the new center, Covenant House had no emergency shelter services. Last year the privately funded agency was forced to deny service to 283 young people needing emergency shelter.

The faith-based, nonprofit agency is rooted in the Catholic tradition. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, former archbishop of St. Louis, invited Covenant House to begin its programs in St. Louis, and Coventant House Missouri formed in 1998. Its mission statement cites God’s unconditional love and how those who serve are a visible sign of God’s presence.

The new center is in the closed Blessed Sacrament School. The crisis floor gives youths a place to stay for up to 45 days before they find other housing, move on to transitional housing or are reunified with their family.

Terri Butler, a Covenant House staff member and parishioner at St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood, gave an example of a girl who was living with friends and needed to be somewhere with more stability. Within a month she moved on to the transitional housing at Covenant House and now is starting classes in college.

The transitional living program is similar to a college dorm, with two residents to a unit that includes a living area, kitchenette and two bedrooms. To stay there, the residents have to agree to go to work or school, with many doing both. Seven of the transitional living residents graduated with a high school diploma this past spring.

Residents learn to shop and cook for themselves. They have the option of purchasing a meal card for the cafe at Covenant House.

Budgeting also is taught, with a goal of putting a majority of their income in a savings account.

"They learn to live independently," Butler said. "It gets them into good habits so when they move out they’re ready."

The residents also learn to develop healthy relationships.

The center includes space that can be converted to accommodate about 16 more residents.

The young people who live there and those who attend during the day take advantage of the GED classes and computer lab.

They also learn about how to find a job and interview for a position. The center operates a Garden Ranger program that provides job training while sprucing up neighborhoods in St. Louis.

The new center has space for a health clinic and a chapel. Field trips are taken to places such as Babler State Park, a new experience for some of the clients who have only known life in an urban environment.

Covenant House materials note that the young people often feel powerless to control their lives and fall into a self-defeating cycle of failure.

"We’re trying to show that there are other choices in their lives," said Kristi Sobbe, another staff member. Covenant House encourages young people to believe in themselves and to make smart choices in their future, she added.

Jesse Sharp, age 20, comes to the center to work on his GED. He works and wants to go to college in a culinary program. Like Eikerenkoetter, he had difficulty getting along with his parents. "Now, things are on a new path, I’m in a stable condition and making progress," he said.

Eikerenkoetter said success doesn’t always happen, but when it does it is no accident.

Of the staff, she said: "They don’t give up. They push, push, push to keep us here."

Youth homelessness has roots

In many cases, the main cause of youth homelessness is physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse from parents or guardians, Coventant House Missouri reports.

Last year, the National Runaway Hotline reported more than 2,500 calls from homeless youth in Missouri, a rate four times that of other states in the region.

In 2007, Covenant House’s emergency Nineline reported more than 14,000 calls from youth in the state of Missouri and East St. Louis, Ill.

According to a sampling of homeless youth in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, conducted by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and St. Louis University (some listed more than one reason):

8 percent were orphaned, made homeless by death or illness of a parent.

24 percent were forced out of their homes by parents or another adult.

66 percent had been victims of physical or sexual abuse.

14 percent fled the effects of substance abuse in the home.

Covenant House responds to young people in crisis by providing a meal, shower, clean clothes, medical attention and a safe place away from the dangers of the street.

Helping young people who are frightened and mistrustful feel safe and secure is one goal. Covenant House teaches by example that caring relationships are based on trust, respect and honesty.

The Nineline hotline number is (800) 999-9999.