Youth Spotlight: Will

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 things in, focus on himself, and move at his own pace. He says one of the most important lessons he learned early on was that not everything needs a reaction. As the days went on, unfamiliar faces became familiar, and the space began to feel more manageable.

Will started coming to the drop in center in November 2024. Less than a week later, he was placed in interim shelter. By April 2025, he moved into the Rights of Passage program.

When he first arrived, Will did not have a job. With support from Covenant House Illinois, he secured overnight work as a package handler for a package delivery company. He has now been in that role for seven months, working five nights a week, and is saving to buy a car so he can begin delivering for Uber Eats. He's looking forward to the independence that comes with being his own boss.

Easton, Will’s case manager, has seen his success firsthand. “Will came in willing to learn and open to support,” she shared. “He asks questions, follows through, and takes his goals seriously.”

Outside of work, Will is a successful content creator. He has been building his presence on Instagram for four years and recently began posting on TikTok. He uses these platforms as means of creative expression and supplemental income. His dream is to create his own reality show focused on LGBTQ experiences and start a durag or wig business, while continuing to grow his brand deals and audiences on social media.

Will remembers how cold it was when he first started coming to CHIL in November, and how scared he felt walking through the doors. What stayed with him was the way staff welcomed him during that moment. Today, he says he is not the same person he was when he first arrived. His advice to other young people is to keep striving, ask questions, and not give up. "What feels unfamiliar at first," he says, "can become the starting point for something much bigger."