Zoryna (Zee) Lealai speaks on a panel about youth homelessness and social change

Raising Our Voices: A Look Inside the Youth Voice Summit

cha-devOur Youth

The very first Youth Voice Summit took place May 30th, 2019, from 10am-5pm at Covenant House Alaska. The event, planned and organized by the Youth Task Force (YTF), was intended to inform the community about the problems and hurdles homeless Anchorage youth face.

The YTF  is a diverse group of youth and young adults who have experienced homelessness and who share their voices, commitment, time and talents to achieve a shared vision with the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP): to make the youth and young adult homeless experience rare and brief, and when it does occur, it is a one-time occurrence.

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The morning began with a panel where 5 youth shared their most difficult struggles and what their most important goal currently is. Each of their experiences is unique and their passions within creating social change vary. Their personal experiences include a range of struggles as well as victories. Some deal with mental health issues, substance abuse, LGBTQ matters, maintaining healthy social habits and relationships, family traumas, and the stigmas of homelessness. Some are currently still experiencing homelessness while others have found housing and jobs they have maintained.

YTF was formed when certain youth realized there was a real need for youth representation in the decision-making process concerning programs and services provided for people in their position. These youth organized and formed the YTF, which became a platform for them to be included in serious, meaningful community discussions & decisions pertaining to future & current programs provided to homeless youth and youth who are in the foster care system.

At the summit, these individuals joined their voices in hopes to demonstrate dedication and commitment to creating programs and services that more effectively serve them and so many others like them. They were willing and ready to share the darkest areas of their lives for the greater good. There were organizations represented throughout the audience, including Choosing Our Roots and Rasmuson Foundation, who were ready to hear their stories.

Amy Kelley, a member of the Youth Task Force Steering Committee, sat on stage eager to share her experience during the morning’s introductory panel discussion. She exclaimed, “I’m ready to get raw! Like I’m ready to dig deep and really TALK about some REAL issues” urging the audience not to be shy with their questions. One of the audience members asked in response, “what exactly do you mean by “get raw”?” Amy responded with immediacy, “if I’m not crying and you’re not crying with me, then we aren’t getting raw enough!”

Through tears, one member shared that she had just woken up the previous morning to the sound of tents being cut—tents belonging to people she knew. And then the cops came for her tent. Their homes were being destroyed and all they could do was stand there and watch it happen. She informed us that law enforcement will hold a certain amount of your belongings for up to 3 months, but they will only hold items for you once; each time thereafter, it’s thrown out.

The fiery passion these youth all share for creating change in their community is special. They are willing to bare everything and share their personal stories all to benefit the lives of others and change the experiences of youth homelessness. What they shared and discussed, in a room full of people representing various community organizations, took serious courage. They showed up with answers, explanations, and their own personal expertise on youth advocacy, sex trafficking, and trauma informed care. The information sessions were a combination of presentation and group discussion, where serious issues and ideas were shared to create plans of action for further development of the Youth Task Force in the Anchorage community.  

The next Youth Voice Summit is scheduled for July 31st. Do you want to become a part of the movement? Register now!

You Are Not Alone!

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Highlighting the 2019 Women’s Leadership Conference: Mission I’m Possible!

Gena Graves leads a budgeting session at the 2019 Women’s Leadership Conference

Gena Graves began coordinating the Women’s Leadership Conference 20 years ago as a way to stay connected with former Passage House residents and to reach out to new potential residents. When Gena first began working at Passage House, she was a young mother herself, with a 1 year-old and a 3 year-old. She says the job combined her two favorite roles: professionally helping people and motherhood. Each year, when she begins to plan the conference, she asks questions of previous attendees and current residents about what they want to learn, do, or experience. She then tries to remember how she learned those things as a mom and brainstorms ways to teach those things in a fun way.

Her intention is to structure the conference as if it is a professional or community conference with hopes that having a positive experience there will cultivate a desire to attend future conference that interest them in their own communities, but “the most important thing this event does for the young women who attend is show them that they are not alone in their difficult experiences of motherhood. Motherhood can be isolating, but it can also bring others together through a shared experience. Because they are mothers, they almost always put their children first and their own needs and dreams get lost in the process. I want them to be able to, if only for a few days, dream and do something for themselves that is both fun and empowering. And in the process, hopefully they make some friends and find a support group as well.”

A couple of weeks ago, 30 young mothers came together at Covenant House Alaska to attend a conference and unlock their endless potential. They networked, gained further life skills, and enjoyed time together. The mission of the conference was to empower and encourage young mothers through building their confidence. Read about one young woman’s experience below:

The first morning of the conference we received our program, conference shirts, and a pair of sunglasses at the check-in table. There was a breakfast bar with big fluffy waffles, warm bacon, fresh fruit, whipped cream, coffee & orange juice. Calm, uplifting music played in the background as we enjoyed our breakfast and chatted with those next to us. Each table was minimally decorated with a beautiful glass vase and a single Bird of Paradise flower.

To break the ice, we went around the room and shared our names, how we became involved with Covenant House Alaska, and our current life mission. Everyone was a little nervous, including me, but that quickly changed. Some of the ladies were from Passage House, some from Crossroads (a high school for parenting and pregnant mothers), and some were Passage House alumni. Our missions ranged from providing the best lives for our children, to becoming financially stable, to becoming debt free. The conference spoke to each woman’s mission, providing practical resources and advice, encouraging and empowering us to complete our personal goals.

Day 1: after introductions, we did crafts—each person got a plain white picture frame, chose from a variety of phrases printed in various fonts, such as “You are my sunshine” and “Moms are like buttons, they hold things together,” and then decorated them with colorful buttons. Most people planned to keep theirs in a place they would see it every day as a reminder while others planned to give theirs as gifts. While we let the glue dry, we had lunch: a burger bar (burgers grilled courtesy of maintenance staff) with potato salad and potato chips. After lunch, we did budgeting activity in groups. Each group was given a budget of $50 with the requirement of buying enough food to make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for 7 days. We had 10 minutes to write out the items we would purchase and the meals we would make and then we shared with the whole group. Everyone seemed to go for ingredients like ground beef, dry beans, milk, eggs, pastas, and rice—they knew they could use them in many different recipes and make them stretch for a while.

Afterwards, we decorated meal planning sheets that were laminated afterwards so that we could write on them with dry erase markers each week. We heard a presentation by AWAIC and discussed abusive relationships, how to navigate them, and resources available if we found ourselves experiencing domestic violence. Some of the information we talked about was triggering, so afterwards the meditation and restorative yoga led by Angela Houston was a perfect way to end the day. Before yoga, we were given soft eye pillows filled with aromatic lavender that we got to take home with us.

Day 2: everyone showed up in their “Mission I’m Possible” shirts! The morning began with an information session, “Legal Info We All Need to Know,” presented by Jessica & Jessica of Nyquist Law Group. The presentation included the basics of everything from rights as a tenant to rights with police. The presentation was useful and probably could have easily lasted all day, but of course there wasn’t time for that. After this more serious session, there was a light & fun cake decorating demo presented by Alaska Cake Studio. Chef Will taught us how to make the perfect buttercream and how to avoid cake crumbs in your icing. We loved his demo and he even gave the cake he made to the person whose birthday was most recent. Luckily at lunch, there were cupcakes from Cake Studio, because after watching the demo, ALL we wanted was cake!! Lunch was catered by Hula Hands—pulled pork, grilled chicken, mac salad, and rice.

At lunch, Kari Hall gave a presentation about all types of relationships and how important they are in determining how our lives end up. She asked us to think about who we spent time with and decide if they had a good, neutral, or bad influence on our lives. We talked to the people next to us, kind of trying to figure out where to place the people that came to our minds. We wrote the names down on a piece of paper, put them in envelopes, and addressed them to ourselves at an address we would be at in 6 months.

For the service project, which was the final activity of the conference, we helped make breast cancer awareness bracelets for breast cancer survivors. A local woman was trying to complete 300 bracelets and wanted us to be involved. In just an hour, we probably completed about 40 bracelets! I left the conference feeling inspired, empowered, and accomplished. I also felt like I was joining other women in solidarity. I left with a new support group that I was a part of. I’m definitely attending next year, and I can’t wait to see how far everyone has come.

Covey Prom: A Night To Remember

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Pascaline and staff pose at last year’s Covey Prom.

Last year, former youth and current volunteer at Covenant House Alaska, Pascaline, brought the idea of Covey Prom to the table. She asked, “if all other kids get to go to prom, shouldn’t our kids get to go too?” We took her thoughts and ideas to heart. She Shared with is her passion and why she feels it’s so important for youth to have a prom experience.

Prom is part of a normal, healthy teenager’s life. Teens who have stable home lives spend the day leading up to prom night making themselves glamorous. Their parents show interest in them. They take them to get fitted for a beautiful dress or the perfect tux. They help them get their makeup, hair & nails done. They will give them a ride if they need one. They are sure to get copies of the professional prom photos to frame and put up around the house. But Covey youth have had hard lives, some don’t even have parents, or their parents don’t want anything to do with them.

Kids end up at Covey because of traumatic experiences, looking for a safe place to sleep or food to eat. For them, the staff at Covey become family. It’s the staff that they see every day. The staff are who talks them through their problems and helps them make appointments or register for classes. The staff try to give them the same chance at happiness and success as other people their age. They also make close friends with other kids at Covey because they have stuff in common. This helps them heal from trauma faster.

Last year was our first prom ever. The dance floor was busy all night, the photo booth was very popular— even staff were getting their pictures taken! Everyone who came looked comfortable, you know, they were happy to be around the people they knew and trusted. I know for a fact they will remember their time and feel like they didn’t miss out on something fun and cool that all other kids are doing. Prom at Covey should be just as fabulous and special as any other prom, a kind of red carpet feeling. With snacks, a backdrop for photos, flashing lights, a dance floor, and loud music. Covenant House tries to bring as many things as possible to the Youth Engagement Center. So, If a kid is in crisis, they will be more likely to get the help they need. Going to a regular high school can be super scary to kids who are experiencing homelessness because they just aren’t like the other kids at school—they don’t have a room to call their own or reliable parents or clean nice clothes. It can be so intimidating to the point they just won’t go. But at Covenant House, they can go to class with other kids like them without ever having to leave the building. They are able to stay on track getting their High School credits, but they miss out on the fun social events that normal high schools offer. If we bring class to them, why not bring prom to them too?

How the Sleep Out Changed Me

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A cardboard shelter made by the youth at Covenant House for the 2017 Sleep Out.

“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 Sleep Out. I also learned that being part of it by participating at least once is kind of a rite of passage for the staff at Covey. 2017 was my year! It was my first and only sleep out. The other sleepers and I raised about $60,000 total – there were maybe 20-25 of us – and that felt really good, knowing we were able to give that back to kids that needed it the most.

Q: When you agreed to do the Sleep Out, were you excited?

A: HA! Honestly? No! Who would be excited about sleeping outside for 8 hours in the winter? I was NERVOUS. Thankfully, though, there was next to no snow on the ground when I slept out. But seriously, I was terrified, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be too cold? Did I bring enough layers? Would I be the only one that couldn’t handle it? Is it possible to bring TOO much gear? But now, looking back, I was overthinking it and letting myself get carried away with worries. Even though it was still cold, wet, and uncomfortable, I know it’s not even CLOSE to how hard most of the kids in Alaska have it when they aren’t at Covey.

Q: What was your biggest takeaway?

A: My biggest takeaway…before I started working at Covey, I knew very little about youth homelessness and how prevalent it was in Alaska. When I familiarized myself with Covey’s mission, programs, and services, I felt like an expert, and MAN was I wrong!! The Sleep Out offers the experience of what it’s like to be out on the streets surrounded by strangers late at night with no place to go. When you get a chance to sit down across the table from a kid at CHA, you see a whole different perspective that most people haven’t seen. So, realizing that it’s easy to convince yourself that you fully grasp the effects homelessness can have on a young person and that you know all the reasons why they end up homeless has to be the biggest takeaway. Talking to real people, face-to-face, opened my eyes to so much more.

Staff, youth, and Sleep Out Champions participate in small group discussions.

Q: What was it like learning about the lives of kids living at Covenant House?

A: It was difficult to watch and hear them sharing such personal truths that many wouldn’t be comfortable sharing with people they hardly know. I ate lunch with some of the kids that participated in the Sleep Out in the weeks leading up to it and thought I understood their struggles, but I had no idea. I heard Dominick and Rebecca’s stories in our small group session:

Dominick told me about his upbringing—about how his father would abuse his mother in front of him and his siblings, how he started experimenting with his dad’s drugs that were left around the house, how he eventually stopped coming home because the abuse there was too much to handle, how he drifted from one friend’s couch to the next, and how, eventually, he ended up in a group camp. Then Covey.

Rebecca came to Anchorage with the promise of a place to stay, but when she arrived, she couldn’t get in contact with her “friend” and ended up on the streets with no money, friends, or family. I don’t want to get into too much detail, but she eventually wound up being trafficked for sex. Then Covey.

After hearing these stories, youth homelessness was no longer just numbers on a page, it was people I knew.

Jessica Leystra, 2017 Young Professional Sleep Out Champion

Q: What was your favorite part of the Sleep Out?

A: Waking up with aching bones and muscles from sleeping on the hard, cold concrete wasn’t my favorite (that part truly sucked), but it was the perspective it gave me that really was valuable. For me, it had only been one night—not seven, or a month, or an undetermined amount of time that I couldn’t predict. I knew that the very next night, I would be jumping into my fluffy warm bed. Sitting around with the other sleepers the next morning, you could see the relief in their eyes when morning came. The relief in knowing that it was over for them. But we all knew it wasn’t over for those who do it night after night with no other options.

Q: Would you do it again?

A: Oh yeah! I wanted to do it this year, but I have a different event I’m planning around the same time. I’m committing to sleeping out in 2020, though! In 2017, I remember they really drilled it into me that the Sleep Out wasn’t about pretending to be homeless, that it was more symbolic—we were sleeping outside in their place, as a display of solidarity with them to say “we see you, we know your pain, we are here for you.” And that action, to me, is really important to continue, support, and honor.

To support this year’s Young Professional Sleep Out, please donate. Your impact is immeasurable.

To Pick. Click. Give a kid a home. please consider designating Covenant House Alaska when you file for your PFD. Your donation will be applied to support the Sleep Out!

Dreaming Big: Part 1

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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 her team that she was one of the selected 15, she played it cool—typical Alison!—but she is over the moon now that she has digested that this is actually real and she can’t stop talking about it (heck, she can barely sleep)! She is the second person in Alaska who has ever been selected—the first being Gloria O’ Neill, CEO of Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), in the 8th Class.

The mission of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, based in Baltimore, is building a brighter future for children, families, and communities, which they work toward, in part, through the Children and Family Fellowship. The Fellowship is an executive leadership program designed to give professionals the confidence and competence to lead major system reforms and community change initiatives. Every couple of years, they select 15 individuals across the United States to become a Fellow, in recognition of their hard work to advocate for children and families in their communities.

This fellowship is a two-year commitment and will demand a lot of work in identifying exactly what Covenant House Alaska (CHA) and the Anchorage community needs in order to continue lowering the number of homeless individuals and eradicating youth homelessness in our city. The Fellowship is fast-paced, has long seminar hours, and requires mental and emotional stamina. Alison will use the 21-month fellowship to work within her agency, organization, and community toward specific, measurable improvements for large numbers of young people and families:

“My passion has always been learning – and taking what I’ve learned to then apply it to systems that help empower at-risk youth. Right now, I’m working hard to create a culture at CHA that includes youth voice, in an environment that used to live only by rules established by adults who weren’t living the same experience of the youth. Years ago, we thought we knew what was best to give homeless and at-risk youth; now we know they must be included in the conversation. I thrive to connect funders to the most amazing mission and our kids to ensure that organizations like Covenant House Alaska exist. I want to be in a position to help young leaders manage sustainable careers and to help organizations realize what resources they need so they can make the most difference for young people who face significant obstacles. I want to be in a position to influence policies and support organizations in their funding, and to create systems change, so that each case worker ultimately touches the life of a young person in the most powerful way possible.”

While this work will involve many active meetings full of thoughtful brainstorming, collaboration, and a careful analysis of the issues and trends surrounding homelessness in Anchorage, Alison is up to the task and ready to face these issues head-on with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This fellowship will benefit Alison, pushing her closer to her personal goals, and in turn, will simultaneously benefit the whole of Covenant House Alaska, the Anchorage community, and the youth whom she tirelessly serves. “We are extremely proud of Alison for being selected for this fellowship,” said Judith Crotty, Covenant House Alaska Board Chair. “She already has a strong record of achievement and through this fellowship she will be able to set her sights even higher to improve the lives of youths in Alaska.”

We all want to whole-heartedly congratulate Alison on her award and are pleased that her dedication to young people and our community has been recognized. She deserves it. Alison’s mom — Mary Whittemore (pictured with her above) — who she credits for her boldness and lack of fear of failure, always told her to dream big, and this is one of those big dreams come true. We are so excited about everything she’s going to learn on this two-year journey as a Children and Family Fellow and the countless dreams she will make come true for youth in Anchorage. Now it’s time for her to get to work! Check back for updates as we follow her on her journey.

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.

Sex traffickers target homeless youth. It’s time to end this horrible epidemic.

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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 prevalence of trafficking. Twenty-eight percent of the youth surveyed at Covenant House Alaska were found to be survivors of human trafficking—more than a quarter of youth at the shelter, compared to 19 percent in the survey nationally. Eileen Wright, Trafficking Case Manager at Covenant House Alaska, relates her experiences about the work done at our youth shelter for survivors of sex trafficking.

Not too long ago, a teenage girl arrived at our shelter at Covenant House from a small village in rural Alaska. Like most our youth, she had experienced some kind of trauma and was looking for a safe place to spend the night off the streets. Little by little, we began to unravel her story. The girl had been locked inside a boarded-up room and held against her will with armed men outside barring her escape. Her boyfriend, the trafficker, had brought customers into the room to sexually assault her as he profited from her abuse. She had come to Anchorage from the village to escape a dangerous home life. She now found herself trapped in the nightmare of sex trafficking, with no place to go.

Sex trafficking is an insidious crime, where predators target the most vulnerable of society. In Alaska, we have one of the most vulnerable populations in the entire country: our children. Alaska sadly has the highest statistics of child molestation and abuse in the nation, and the highest rates of sexual assault and child neglect. These children are particularly at risk to sexual exploitation and chronic homelessness later on; they’ve already been “normalized” to a life of abuse and so are easy prey. There are criminals out there, looking to make a profit. Homeless youth are the targets.

Traffickers groom young people through manipulation, coercion and lies. It usually starts out with a relationship with a youth who is already vulnerable, who has no sense of value or self-worth. The trafficker lies to them, telling them they are loved, they are appreciated and will be cared for. For many at-risk youth, this is the first time anybody has lavished them with such praise and affection. A young girl soon cannot imagine their life without this person; in their minds, they are the only ones who have ever truly cared for them.

Then comes the abuse. Their boyfriends, the pimps, tell them “If you really love me, then you will do this favor for me.” Resistance is met with beatings and threats. Girls will often be tied down and injected with meth or heroin, igniting painful addictions. And thus the cycle of trafficking begins.

When we found out the results of the study, that 28 percent of our youth at Covenant House Alaska were survivors of human trafficking, none of us here were surprised. If anything, we felt that it was underreported. We were also not surprised to learn that Alaska experiences the most heinous cases of sex trafficking in the nation. The researcher, Dr. Laura Murphy of Loyola University’s Modern Slavery Research Project, told us that from among all the Covenant House sites across the country, ours had the most brutal cases of sex trafficking— worse than the big, crime-filled cities of Los Angeles, Detroit, New Orleans and even New York. And it’s true. When youth finally do open up to us, their stories are horrific. It is absolutely soul-crushing.

I love these young people. All of us here at Covenant House truly do. And I believe that the most important thing we can do for youth who are being trafficked, for all our youth who experience abuse and homelessness, is to show them unconditional love and respect. We build trusting relationships with them and always accept them for who they are. We make it so that Covenant House is a safe place that they can always come back to. The more times they come back here when they’re in trouble, the more likely they are to open up to us. And we become that relationship of unconditional love that they thought they had, which unlocks the ability for them to share the abuse they’ve suffered. Burdens are easier to carry when someone else is supporting you.

We all must do something to end this epidemic of sex trafficking in Alaska. It can start with our most precious resource: our children. Our mission at Covenant House is to “serve the suffering children of the street and to protect and safeguard all children.” If more Alaskans took that mission to heart, then perhaps we could begin to tackle the underlying trauma that brings youth to the streets, and ultimately to sex trafficking, in the first place.

—Eileen Wright, Trafficking Case Manager for Covenant House Alaska

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.

To read the Covenant House study on human trafficking, go to https://covenanthousestudy.org/landing/trafficking/. For more information on how you can join Anchorage’s movement to end youth homelessness, please contact CHA’s Volunteer Specialist at 907-339-4261 or volunteer@covenanthouseak.org.

Covenant House Alaska volunteer shares her passion and experience.

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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 means the case managers and staff working the front desk don’t have to. They can instead take time to connect with the kids,” says Terry, who comes into the youth shelter an average of five hours a week. “Those are the people on the front lines every day, the faces that the kids really need to see.”

Terry is an Air Force veteran who started volunteering at CHA as a practicum student through the University of Alaska Anchorage. She quickly found how important volunteers are to CHA’s operations.

“The kids come here for a variety of reasons, and none of them are good,” Terry stresses. “When a youth comes back and forth a couple of times, and then finally enters CHA, they know that this will give them a better path than what’s offered on the street.”

Initially, Terry’s first volunteer duties involved running errands for staff.

“Then I started taking on the donation room,” she says, explaining the process. Donations are first sorted to make sure they’re appropriate for the young clients. The clothing is then laundered, folded and hung in CHA’s Clothing Closet. Brand new items go into the “Birthday Closet.”

“If someone has a birthday, they can choose a new pair of pants or makeup or sometimes a nice dress, something new and special they can pick out for themselves,” Tarner says. “The best part is, when a youth goes in the Clothing Closet and they literally don’t have anything. They’re just happy to find something that fits them and doesn’t look like it came from their grandmother’s closet.”

Terry adds that getting to know the youth has been the most rewarding part of her volunteer job.

“When a young client comes into our Clothing Closet and I find them something warm or new or in a particular size, they appreciate it so much,” Terry explains. “It boosts their confidence.”

Terry says here are a lot of volunteer opportunities here at CHA, and the rewards are greater than what you give. “There is always something to do at Covenant House,” she says.

From helping a youth pull together an outfit for a job interview, to helping young residents write a resume, to sorting through clothing donations, the everyday tasks at the shelter are nonstop but all crucial to the mission of Covenant House Alaska.

“Youth are just looking for a chance,” Terry says. “They’re looking for someone to listen to them, not to take care of them. It means a lot to them.”

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.

Interested in volunteering? Please contact our Volunteer Specialist at 907-339-4261 or volunteer@covenanthouseak.org.

Community Gives Back with Warm, Comforting Soup

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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 another young resident put it, “Having soup available means I don’t have to steal food when I’m hungry.”

Nearly 20 gallons of hot, soothing soup are offered everyday to homeless youth dropping into Covenant House Alaska for a warm meal and safe harbor. For many youth, it is their first meal of the day. For others, it serves as the beginning of their journey at Covenant House Alaska, a journey that will ultimately lead them away from the dangerous streets and into a life of stability and independence.

Preparing homemade soup is also a meaningful way to for the community to give back. Just ask long-time CHA volunteer, Kari Hall. Each month, she cooks about 15 gallons of delicious and healthful soup for Covenant House youth. “I love doing this,” Kari says. “It’s a good feeling knowing that you’re providing something warm and nourishing for kids coming off the cold streets.”

Kari has also volunteered her time teaching CHA teens how to prepare and cook yummy homemade soup. She even taught youth how to make her Italian White Bean soup recipe, which won the 2016 Bean’s Café Empty Bowl Project Award. The teens enthusiastically helped her chop Costco-sized boxes of vegetables for 31 gallons of soup, and learned a lot in the process.

“The most rewarding part was watching the kids help prepare the vegetables— they were having fun!” Kari says.

Kari also throws “Soup-Making” parties at her own home, inviting friends and colleagues over to help her chop and prepare the gallons of ingredients she needs for her homemade soup recipes. It’s a labor of love, and her guests share in the joy of knowing their efforts will go towards making at-risk youth feel nourished and loved with each bowl of hot soup they are offered. For 30 years, more than 25,000 Alaskan youth have walked through our shelter doors, and started the next chapter of their lives with a steaming bowl of loving homemade soup!

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.

For more information about donating soup to Covenant House Alaska or organizing a Soup Party, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 907-339-4261 or volunteer@covenanthouseak.org.

We Must End Sex Trafficking of Our Alaska Youth

coveyhouseImpact Updates

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 prevalence of trafficking. Below are excerpts from Alison Kear’s testimony she submitted to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs’ hearing on human trafficking.

Seven years ago, Anchorage police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned communities about a rise in rural Alaska Native girls and women who leave their families and villages for Anchorage and are then lured into the sex trafficking trade with the promise of security. There seems to be a market for young Alaska Native women who can be trafficked as other ethnicities. This is where I first learned about the severity of the trafficking problem in Alaska. In this presentation, I discovered that the number one spot that young people were being recruited for sex trafficking was, of all places, Covenant House Alaska. When I got over my shock and anger and sadness, I was committed to change that.

Unfortunately, we know Alaska suffers the highest rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide in the country. The Alaska rape rate is two and a half times the national average. Child sexual assault in Alaska is almost six times the national average. And within the foster care system, Alaska Native children are seven times more likely to be in foster care than non-Native children. These are all risk factors that lead to extreme vulnerability and homelessness among Native youth. They are easy targets for sex traffickers who promise these youth security, love, companionship, a warm meal and a bed. These kids don’t have support networks or a community. So if Covenant House doesn’t find them first, who does? Traffickers.

Certainly, one way to help end sex trafficking is to end youth homelessness—the connection between the two is undeniable. And within the Anchorage community, we are coming together to do that. Covenant House Alaska has built strong partnerships with many organizations to help our homeless youth who are vulnerable to trafficking. We partner with Southcentral Foundation, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, First Alaskans Institute and Cook Inlet Housing Authority, who are all working inside our shelter and alongside us to heal the trauma all our at-risk youth have experienced.

We are also working to address the lack of training among health and law professionals so they can more quickly identify victims of sex trafficking. We partner with the Alaska Native Justice Center and the FBI, as well as Priceless, the anti-trafficking organization, and two local domestic violence organizations, STAR and AWAIC. Together, we serve all trafficking victims who walk through our shelter doors.

It’s going to take these kinds of unique partnerships to get a grip on this growing crime of sex trafficking in our state. These children are our children—our community members and the future of our state. We are more determined than ever to end their victimization.

 – Alison Kear

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.

For information on how you can volunteer to help end youth homelessness and human trafficking, please contact volunteer@covenanthouseak.org.

Pregnant and Abused Teen Finds Sanctuary and a Future at Covenant House

coveyhouseOur Youth

“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 living with relatives. The city bus was my only transportation.

Part of my story includes the fact that I spent my teenage years doing drugs and drinking, just about every day. But when I found out I was pregnant, I quit. I applied to Passage House and was accepted. There, I learned about caring for a newborn. Kathy, Gena and Anne were very helpful while teaching me how to parent my son. I learned a lot in our weekly groups and in our daily conversations. They all were very kind, encouraging and understanding.

I had been in an abusive relationship with the baby’s father, but after four years, I finally made the decision to leave him. With the help of Covenant House, I focused all my attention on my son and myself. I got a job as a teacher at an Early Head Start program, which then enabled me to earn my Child Development Associate credential. I’m happy to report I plan to start college for nursing soon!

The Passage House staff has been there for me through all of my ups and downs. I have turned to them to share my joys and struggles and they have always supported me. I am very grateful for them. I am here to tell you that there was a time when I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to parent my son, and if it hadn’t been for Passage House and the amazing staff I’m not sure I would be standing here today—the mother of an amazing little boy whom I love so very, very much.

I am so impressed by the community’s love and support for Covenant House. Thank you for continuing to support our at-risk youth, and the young mothers and their children. You have no idea how much it means to all of us.

 – Laura Cantrell, Covenant House Alaska and Passage House graduate

To make a gift to Covenant House Alaska, please visit our donation page.