Youth Spotlight: Junior P.

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 apartment through the Chicago Housing Authority. It's a place he can call home for as long as he needs.

“Permanent supportive housing gives our young people the foundation to dream again,” says Easton, Junior’s case manager. “Our partnerships with organizations like CHA and La Casa Norte are life-changing because once a young person has a long-term, safe place to live, the possibilities open up.”

Music has been a thread throughout Junior’s life. He’s been singing and performing since he was a child, but became serious about it around age 14, playing guitar and accordion and performing at parties. His musical roots run deep; his grandmother loved to sing and dance, and he sees music as a connection to his family and a driving force in his life.

Junior may look familiar to some of CHIL's supporters because he even performed at last year’s Sleep Out! “I was surprised how many people were there who supported me and CHIL. It was bigger than I originally imaged," he says of the experience.

Originally from out of state, Junior came to Chicago six years ago to be closer to family. He enrolled in college to study music, but a serious injury forced him to pause his education. Now, with the stability of his own one-bedroom apartment which he found through La Casa Norte, he’s focused on restarting his academic journey and finding work (anything from landscaping to food service) just to stay on his feet while pursuing his dream: performing on stage for big crowds.

"Being at Covenant House gave me the time and space I needed to focus on myself and my music," says Junior. 

We're so proud of Junior for taking this huge next step in his life! Please join us in congratulating him!