Youth Spotlight: Tre

Tre's journey to CHIL began with a challenging turn of events. On his 18th birthday, he found himself without a home when his mom forced him to leave. He spent a few nights with a friend before being dropped off at the Night Ministry, where his resilience and determination truly began to shine.

Despite the challenges, Tre quickly found a job and was put on CHIL’s residential wait list. After a short stay at the Night Ministry, a bed became available for him at CHIL in 2020. Throughout this period, he balanced playing football, working, and attending online school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CHIL staff even sent him to prom! Tre stayed at Covenant House for about six months, where he received the support and resources he needed to move forward.

Following his stay at CHIL, Tre was matched with Solid Ground, an all-boys transitional living program in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. At Solid Ground, he had his own room and he was able to stay for free, so he used this time to find stability and save money. After two years, he was matched with housing through Kids Above All’s Transitional Living Program for young adults, where he can stay for another two years and will be matched with another two-year program afterward.

Now, Tre is working at FedEx, a job he started two months ago; he has big dreams of becoming a driver for the company. Through it all, Tre remains grateful to Covenant House and continues to recommend it to others.

"My time being homeless was short-lived, but without Covenant House, I would probably still be homeless," Tre shared. "If you're going through it, you won't be going through it for too long with CHIL."

Tre's story is a testament to the power of support and resilience. To this day, Tre is still recommending peers to go to CHIL if they need help. For Tre, Covenant House served as a safe space with career support and essential resources. He fondly recalls working with Easton, Camille, and Donta—CHIL employees who played a pivotal role in his journey (and are all still working at CHIL!).

“Tre’s journey is a powerful example of resilience and growth,” says Easton, a case manager at CHIL. “From the moment he arrived, he was determined to turn his situation around. Watching him progress, find stability, and continue to set goals for himself has been incredibly inspiring. We’re proud to have been a part of his journey and look forward to seeing all he will achieve.”

Tre's journey is a reminder that with the right support, determination, and resilience, nothing is impossible.