“I remember they really drilled it into me that the Sleep Out wasn’t about pretending to be homeless…” The following is an interview with Jessica Leystra, 2017 Young Professional Sleep Out Champion. Q: What’s your history with the Sleep Out? A: Well, I actually used to work at Covenant House Alaska, which is how I learned about the Young Professional …
Dreaming Big: Part 1
The Fellows for the 11th Class of the Children and Family Fellowship have just recently been announced! We are absolutely thrilled to share that Covenant House Alaska’s very own CEO, Alison E. Kear, has been selected as a Children and Family Fellow by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. When Alison nonchalantly walked down the hall to share the news with …
Sex traffickers target homeless youth. It’s time to end this horrible epidemic.
In April 2017, Covenant House released a groundbreaking study that shed new light on the link between youth homelessness and human trafficking. The largest study ever of human trafficking among homeless young people, it was conducted in 10 cities nationwide, including Covenant House Alaska in Anchorage. The results were staggering. Of the 10 cities studied, Anchorage had the highest reported …
Covenant House Alaska volunteer shares her passion and experience.
We are blessed to have volunteers at CHA. Here is one of their stories: Volunteer Terry Tarner spends her time at Covenant House Alaska doing ordinary tasks like washing clothes, folding laundry and sorting through piles of donations. These duties may seem mundane, but Terry says these chores are actually critical to Covenant House’s mission. “Doing laundry or organizing closets …
Community Gives Back with Warm, Comforting Soup
It’s often been said that soup is good for the soul. At Covenant House Alaska, it is much more than that. Warm and comforting soup can often be a lifesaver to many of the homeless youth who find their way to our shelter. “Having soup 24 hours a day means Covenant House cares about me,” says one CHA youth. As …
We Must End Sex Trafficking of Our Alaska Youth
In April 2017, Covenant House released a groundbreaking study that shed new light on the link between youth homelessness and human trafficking. The largest study ever of human trafficking among homeless young people, it was conducted in 10 cities nationwide, including Covenant House Alaska in Anchorage. The results were staggering. Of the 10 cities studied, Anchorage had the highest reported …
Pregnant and Abused Teen Finds Sanctuary and a Future at Covenant House
“If it hadn’t been for Passage House and the amazing staff, I’m not sure I would be standing here today.” “I was 18 when I found out about Passage House, the Covenant House program for pregnant and parenting teens who are homeless. I was about 8 months pregnant with my son, whose father abused me. At the time, I was …
My Life has Changed So Much
“To tell you this story, I’m going to start from the beginning, back to April 1, 2017. I lived in Nome, a small town just over 1,000 miles northwest of here. What led to me to Anchorage was being homeless in the bitter months of the brutal winter, living on the streets of Nome, in temperatures that reach -20 degrees …
Graduation Day
Now is the season of graduations. I have certainly been to my share of them. I attended graduation last night and I barely held it together. I was so proud of one our Covenant House grads but also a little sad that the road she had to take was so fraught with struggle and pain. Here are these kids, awkwardly …
In Her Own Words: A Story by Taylor*
Without Covenant House I have no idea where I would be today. I do know, however, that I would not be parenting my son and living on my own, and I certainly wouldn’t be as hopeful about my future as I am today. From a very early age, I was homeless. We spent most of our nights sleeping in parks, …
