When Deo first came to Covenant House Illinois in April 2023, he was not looking for much. A friend had told him about the drop-in center, and after losing his apartment, he needed a place to land. Originally from Harvey, he had been moving between the south suburbs and the city for years, trying to figure out his next step. He started in CHIL's drop-in center, then moved into our Interim Housing Program in June 2023. By June 2024, he was selected to transition into Rights of

J arrived in Chicago with no safety net. He came from North Carolina looking for opportunity, but also looking for direction. By the time he was 17, he had lost both of his parents. What followed was a long stretch of asking himself what kind of life he wanted to build and where he might be able to start fresh. Chicago felt like a place where something exciting could happen. After calling a few shelters, J learned about Covenant House, first hearing about the site in Detroit

Will, 22, has spent his life on the west side of Chicago near Austin. Last fall, he found himself in a period of uncertainty, unsure of what his next steps would look like. A friend told him about Covenant House Illinois, and although he felt hesitant, he decided to stop by the drop-in center. "It was overwhelming being here at first," recalls Will. "Everyone was dealing with their own situations, and I didn't know where I fit in." Over time, however, he learned to take thing

Discovering My Passion for Youth Advocacy I’m Bri Hailey. I’m a Detroit native, data analyst, cat mom, aspiring community connector, and youth advocate. Recently, I came across posts about Sleep Out 2024 on Instagram. They piqued my interest and led me to explore more about youth-focused organizations. For the past year, I’ve volunteered with several organizations on the city’s South and West sides. However, I hadn’t found any that truly aligned with my values until I discove

Vono started coming to the CHIL Drop-In Center (YDC) in July 2024 and moved into our interim housing program in September 2024. In July...

When Junior P. first came to Covenant House Illinois in the spring of 2024, he was looking for stability after facing housing insecurity. After learning about CHIL through a staff member, he began visiting our drop-in center. By August, he had joined our interim housing program, and just a month later, moved into our transitional living program, which we call Rights of Passage (ROP). This July, Junior reached a major milestone: securing a permanent supportive housing apartmen