On May 8th Covenant House (Casa Alianza) Executive Director Guadalupe Ruelas was attacked by Honduran Military Police shortly after he criticized government inaction in the face of hundreds of disappeared and murdered children. Covenant House denounces this violence and the attack on Guadalupe, as reported in thisNew York Times article.
Let your voice be heard and sign this petition to help stop the abuse of Honduran children.
Before an enthusiastic crowd at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall,
Covenant House youth told their story through a performance of R. Kelly’s song “The World’s Greatest” that had over 700 attendees on their feet.
Calling on their past experiences of homelessness and despair, the Covenant House kids sang the lyrics with passion and purpose:
“I’m that star up in the sky
I’m that mountain peak up high
Hey I made it, I’m the world’s greatest…”
The Covenant House A Night of Broadway Stars event on June 10 raised over $1.1 million to support the Covenant House mission of providing food, clothing, shelter, medical attention, and counseling to over 56,000 homeless youth this year.
The event featured a full revue of performances by some of Broadway’s greatest performers, including Rita Harvey, Capathia Jenkins, Stephanie J. Block, Rob Evan, Jason Wooten, and Hugh Panero.
“The only thing larger than the talent of these Broadway stars is the size of their hearts,” said renowned composer/lyricist Neil Berg, who hosted the revue. “And the highlight for each of our stars is the chance to work with the kids of Covenant House.”
The event honored Mark J. Hennessy, IBM Vice President and member of the Covenant House Board of Directors, and Janet M. Keating, a board member who has supported the work of Covenant House since 1987.
“The kids at Covenant House are our mission,” said Hennessy. “They have battled homelessness, abuse of all kinds, and in many cases have been cast aside by society. But just like all of our own kids, they have aspirations, intelligence and drive. Covenant House gives young people the hope they need to realize their dreams and contribute to society in so many positive ways.”
“Through faith and love, the kids at Covenant House grow to believe in themselves and live extraordinary lives,” said co-honoree Janet Keating. “That’s what Covenant House does. No matter where the young people come from or what curves life has thrown them, Covenant House embraces them. Covenant House shelters, educates, and provides the support of a real family so our kids can become healthy, self-assured, prosperous adults, who can be proud of their accomplishments.”
One of the many highlights of the evening included an inspiring message from a former resident of Covenant House.
“My name is Matthew, and I graduated from Covenant House in 2010. When I walked down the Covenant House driveway six years ago, I was scared, hungry and convinced I was never going to live a happy life. There’s no other way to put it … Covenant House saved my life.”
Matthew is now enrolled in college and working full-time. “Teresa Hamdan, a Covenant House board member, arranged for a group of kids at Covenant House to take a cooking class with a professional chef. That class gave me new direction. As I stood in that kitchen watching that chef, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Thank you for allowing me to be part of tonight’s celebration of Covenant House, and thanks for making sure those doors were open when I walked down that driveway six years ago.”
New York Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman urged those in attendance to support Covenant House in a unique way – by sleeping out on the streets in support of homeless kids.
“My good friend from college, Covenant House President Kevin Ryan, urged me to help Covenant House and join the board, and it has been an amazing experience,” said Cashman. “I am used to having some meaningful Octobers in my work with the Yankees, but now I’m happy to be involved in an event that makes November very meaningful -- the Covenant House Sleep Out on behalf of our kids. It is a movement that has really taken off and has helped us raise so much money and awareness. I hope you will join us in November.”
“Thank you for supporting our Covenant House mission of being love in the world to kids whose families can’t or won’t be that for them,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. “Thank you for supporting what truly is the most the most powerful human rights movement for children in the Americas.”
With the passage of New Jersey's exemplary new law to fight human trafficking, state officials expect great growth in the need for lawyers to represent survivors. So Assistant Attorney General Tracy Thompson joined with the head of a survivors advocacy group to train more than two dozen attorneys recently. They were interested in serving as pro bono (free) lawyers to victims of sex or labor trafficking, and they were there to learn about what legal services they might need to provide.
I applaud these efforts and others like them. They are proof that it takes an entire community -- lawyers, police officers, emergency medical technicians, social workers and regular citizens -- to create a safety net to lift up our neighbors, many of them minors, who have survived being trafficked.
Speaking to the group recently at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, Ms. Thompson explained that victims do not usually identify themselves as being trafficked, in part because of the climate of fear they are made to work in, and in part because they feel ashamed and hopeless. They also tend to blame themselves for their victimization.
New Jersey is a hub for human trafficking, Ms. Thompson said, because of its location on the Interstate 95 drug- and gun-running corridor, and its many highways, seaports and air terminals. The state also has a high demand for cheap labor, including farm work.
More than many states, New Jersey has kept track of trafficking cases: There were 216 from Sept. 2005 to March 2014, with 93 labor trafficking cases, 85 sex trafficking cases and 26 cases that were both, she said. From 2007 to 2011, 533 New Jersey children were reported missing to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with 34 suspected or confirmed to be involved in prostitution.
Some local law enforcement officials have paid close attention to the issue. Chief Harry Earle in Gloucester Township, who has been on the forefront of trafficking prosecutions under the new law, tracks every child who is missing or has run away from home in his jurisdiction, Ms. Thompson said, to look into what troubles the young person may be experiencing at home that would make him or her flee.
She also told the story of Marc Branch from South Jersey, who was arrested for running a male prostitution ring in Ventnor. He would allegedly spike the drinks of the young men he wanted to traffic, she said, then inject them with heroin after they passed out, so they would become drug-addicted and easier to sell and control.
Trafficking can't be stopped simply by arresting criminals -- new ones will take their place. "Law enforcement can't do it alone," Ms. Thompson told the lawyers. "We need to get victims to want to come forward. We need a safety net there, and you are part of that safety net." The state is training taxi and limousine drivers, emergency medical technicians and public defenders as well as private attorneys and police. Given that the law took effect only in July, it is likely that some of the attorneys in the room would be bringing precedent-setting cases.
The lawyers posed various questions about the work they hoped to take on. One asked about their own safety. The state would protect lawyers working on such cases, though pro bono lawyers should not take cases they did not feel comfortable with, Ms. Thompson said.
Attorneys could help victims would file civil cases for damages, pain and suffering and lost wages, after the completion of criminal cases involving their traffickers, and some victims would need assistance during a criminal trial, if they were filing a complaint with the Violent Crimes Compensation Office, for example.
"You might get a call that the state is doing a takedown, and we might need you at a secret location, to meet them here," said Noelle A. Connor, the founder ofFree2Flourish, the advocacy group. "Sometimes someone will need an immunity agreement right on the spot."
One lawyer asked how to find services for victims if they needed them. Usually the state does so, Ms. Thompson said, but the Department of Children and Families, the Polaris Project, which offers translator services, and the Coalition for Battered Women could also help. She also gave the lawyer's the state's trafficking hotline, 855.END.NJ.HT (855-363-6548) and reminded them that they did not have to give a victim's identity to the state when seeking services.
Elizabeth Hampton, a litigator from the Fox Rothschild law firm, came to the training with about seven other attorneys from the firm. More had signed up as well, she said, after hearing a colleague had been deeply moved by hearing a survivor speak. "We heard that the attorney general was putting together a task force and looking for attorneys to assist," she said. "We asked, 'how can we help?'"
As a mother of a young daughter, she said she was moved because so many children are victims of trafficking.
"For children and victims who are not protected and have nowhere to go, we can help be their voice, and be there to help with whatever their needs are."
I am glad that young people like Rosa and the many trafficking victims we see at Covenant House will have well-trained lawyers to sit next to them as the fight for justice. Now let's help other states pass laws as strong as New Jersey's. (Check herefor trafficking-related laws in your state.)
It's a long battle, but so worth fighting!
Please join us in welcoming John A. Ducoff as Covenant House Pennsylvania's Executive Director.
"I am thrilled to be part of Covenant House Pennsylvania's tremendous work--from getting youth off the streets and helping them find jobs and get access to medical care to their transition to independent living through our Rights of Passage housing program to CHPA's anti-trafficking efforts--I'm excited to do my part to help make the future brighter for young people in need," he said. "I grew up in Bensalem, just 20 miles from our Crisis Center in Germantown, so doing such important work in the same area where I grew up has special meaning."
John has served as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and General Counsel of Covenant House International since 2010, and formally begins his full-time tenure at Covenant House Pennsylvania on July 1.
"John has served as interim Executive Director since January, and has thrived working with CHPA's community of staff, supporters, and kids," said Mary Beth Gray, Chair of the Board of Directors of Covenant House Pennsylvania. "His enthusiasm for the work and the mission, as well as his efforts leading CHPA to the most successful fundraising event in its 15-year history at our recent Night of Broadway Stars gala, makes him the right choice to lead this mission."
"John is a very effective and inspiring advocate for our kids," said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. "As Executive Director of CHPA I know he will continue to be a tireless fighter for our mission. Our thanks go to John for continuing to expand his dedication to Covenant House and our kids."
Before joining Covenant House, John served as the Deputy Commissioner for Child Welfare Reform at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, where he oversaw a comprehensive organizational reform initiative to overhaul New Jersey's child welfare system as well as the development and deployment of a case management database for 6,000 caseworkers.
Previously, he served as Special Deputy Commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, the Director of Litigation and Chief Counsel at the New Jersey Office of the Child Advocate, and as an associate at Latham and Watkins LLP. After receiving his BA from Rutgers College Phi Beta Kappa and his JD from the Rutgers-Camden School of Law with high honors, John clerked for the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Homelessness makes kids particularly vulnerable to being lured or kidnapped by pimps -- if you don't have a safe place to stay, and you don't have grownups who are watching out for your well-being, your odds of being trafficked grow greatly. At Covenant House, the hemisphere's largest movement of programs and shelter services for homeless and trafficked young people, we see far too many kids who have been forced into prostitution.
In fact, our recent study with Fordham University showed that, at least in our New York shelter, almost a quarter of the sampled kids had been commercially sexually exploited, and half said they could've avoided this trauma if they'd had a safe roof over their heads.
We are getting nearer to the passage of enlightened federal legislation that could help vulnerable kids keep safe from sex trafficking. In May the House of Representatives approved a package of five bills to that end, and now we call on the Senate to follow suit and send the bills on to President Obama.
Please join the movement by signing this petition to the Senate, at Care2.org.
Here's what the bills do:
-- H.R. 3530/S. 1738: The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2014 strengthens laws against traffickers and increases services and restitution to victims.
-- H.R. 4058/S. 1518: The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act, identifies and protects young people at risk of being trafficked, improves the chances that those in foster care can participate in afterschool activities and have a greater chance of finding a permanent home, and improves data collection and reporting about child sex trafficking.
-- H.R. 3610/S. 1733: The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2014 requires the passage of state laws recognizing minors involved in commercial sex as trafficking victims who should not be prosecuted for prostitution, but referred to social services.
-- H.R. 4573/(No Senate bill number yet): The International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking requires the notification of other countries when American child-sex offenders travel to them.
-- H.R. 4225/S. 2536: The Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (SAVE) Act prohibits knowingly advertising the sexual services of a minor or trafficked person. (20% chance of passage https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4225)
As with any laws, there are improvements to be made. For instance, the SAVE Act moves into the muddy waters of privacy and free speech on the Internet, and raises the difficulty of determining when a website "knowingly" advertises an underage or trafficked person for sex. There must be a way to clarify this muddy area - after all, it is illegal to sell guns or drugs on websites like Backpage.com and Craigslist -- why not children? Both sites acknowledge that advertising of trafficked people is against their terms of use. Craigslist closed down its adult services section in 2010, while Backpage.com did not. How can it be legal for Backpage.com to advertise the renting out of the bodies of at least 303 children between 2009 and 2013?
In addition, we would like to see stepped-up protections for young people involved in labor trafficking, immigrant victims, and more help to keep kids in foster care safe.
Most important of all, we need to prevent kids from being trafficked in the first place. When you spend as much time as we do trying to help heal the psychological scars of a young person who has been bought, sold, beaten, raped, and manipulated, you know that the best way to help vulnerable kids is to keep them from ever having these traumatizing experiences in the first place.
And the best ways to do that?
· Make sure each young person has a safe place to stay and adults who care deeply about them.
· Keep families together, and when that fails, provide the best possible foster care to children whose parents can't or won't take care of them.
· Provide safe shelter for every young person who needs it - to that end, we applaud New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose administration has invested in additional youth shelter beds, including more beds for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
But nationally, we need to step up our support for homeless youth. In President Obama's budget, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act is scheduled to be funded with $116 million, $2 million more than last year, but a drop in the bucket compared to the need. The advocacy group National Network for Youth is asking for $152.5 million, and a tripling of the runaway and homeless youth budget by 2020. This is imperative if we're serious about fighting trafficking.
We need to reduce the demand for young bodies. We need to teach our children that it is not OK to buy sex, and that johns are in many jurisdictions considered on a legal par with traffickers. There is no good way to know if the "purchased person" is over 18 and is selling his or her body willingly. Stings, john schools, publishing johns' names or putting them on sex offenders lists, are all ways to cut into the highly profitable business of pimps, who can make $150,000 to $200,000 a year off the backs of the children they prostitute.
It's time we build on the bipartisan support that powered these bills through the House, and pass them in the Senate, a significant step in the fight against the commercial sexual abuse of children.
We are delighted to announce our partnership with actress Blake Lively’s new website, Preserve. Her new e-commerce website includes a commitment to philanthropy and helping kids at Covenant House find food, clothing and shelter.
Homeless kids count. And they need to be counted accurately. So I am encouraged that Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced legislation yesterday [7/24] to fix a long-standing injustice in the way our nation counts homeless kids, that has kept about 900,000 children and families from federal assistance programs designed to help them.
For years, schools, youth shelters and programs serving runaways and trafficked kids have considered young people to be homeless if they or their families were living in motels or doubled up with friends or relatives. Certainly such sleeping arrangements stress out young people and make them vulnerable to frequent moves and strangers who could harm them.
But the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides housing vouchers and other crucial services, has required separate proofs that a family with children, or an unaccompanied minor, is actually homeless. HUD requires written documentation to prove one's homelessness, requirements that are difficult to meet for people in transient situations.
The Senators' bill, the Homeless Children and Youth Act, would let young people who are recognized as homeless by their schools, domestic violence shelters, or runaway and homeless youth programs to become eligible for HUD assistance. Currently, HUD recognizes far fewer school-age homeless children than the Department of Education does. According to the Senators, HUD's point-in-time survey found 247,000 homeless households with at least one child, while the schools counted 1.1 million homeless children.
The bill also allows for local, not federal, officials to decide which homeless people need priority help, and it requires more careful counting of homeless young people.
I urged people to contact their lawmakers two years ago when the House of Representatives considered a similar bill, but it died. I am encouraged that this new legislation has bipartisan support in both houses of congress, with Reps. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and George Miller (D-Calif.) having introduced a similar bill in the House.
I urge you to write your lawmakers and tell them of your support for this bill - use this for sample letters.
Homeless advocates are also excited about S. 2646, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), which provides training to shelter workers, and counseling and appropriate services to victims of commercial sexual exploitation. It also provides more street outreach to vulnerable young people, and calls for uniform data collection, to improve services for trafficking survivors. I urge you to write to your senator, asking him or her to support the Runaway and Homeless Youth Trafficking Prevention Act.
Children don't vote. They rely on us to protect them. The ones who are the most vulnerable, those who are homeless and at risk of being prostituted, need us more than ever.
The Covenant House has announced the Second Annual Sleep Out: Broadway Edition on Sunday, August 17, 2014, where members of the Broadway community will spend the night sleeping on the streets outside the Covenant House to raise much needed funds for homeless youth. The Executive Committee Members of Covenant House's Sleep Out: Broadway Edition is made up of Stephanie J. Block, Jeff Calhoun, Capathia Jenkins, Denis O'Hare, Tom Schumacherand Keala Settle.
Covenant House's Sleep Out: Broadway Edition is open to any member of the theatrical community who has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway or a National Tour, in any capacity. To reserve your sleeping bag, contact Colgan McNeil at colgan@polkandco.com or 917.261.3988.
"These are stars who have selflessly decided they want to walk in our kids' shoes, and experience, if only for one night, some of what our kids go through," said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan.. "Their actions are an incredible show of support for the thousands of young people struggling to survive every night on our streets."
Sebastian Arcelus, Adriane Lenox, Caissie Levy, Rory O'Malley, Darius de Haas, Rita Harvey, Cameron Adams, Rachel Brosnahan, Rosalind Brown, Dana Marie Ingraham, Tamika Lawrence, Jason Ralph, Gayle Rankin, Dennis Stowe, Tad Wilson, Kevin Carolan, Brian Carson, Anastacia McCleskey, Melissa Mitchell, Karla Mosley, Brooke Rowzee, Rachel Stern and Rachel Sussman will be among the members of the Broadway community participating in the Second Annual Covenant House Sleep Out: Broadway Edition on Sunday, August 17, 2014.
Sleep Out: Broadway Edition is a one-night fundraising event, beginning with an evening of dialogue between formerly homeless teenagers and participating Sleepers. Kids share their stories and answer questions about their lives. After a light supper, tours of the shelter, and continued conversation, sleepers will receive cardboard boxes, sleeping bags, and a safe piece of pavement in a secure, enclosed and protected space for the night.
More about Covenant House: Founded in 1972, Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas helping homeless kids, providing 24/7 crisis care and ongoing support at 21 facilities. For more information, visit www.covenanthouse.org. 6,900 homeless kids will step toward a new life with Covenant House New York this year. Some were born here. Some were brought to the city against their will. Some came seeking the bright lights and brilliant sounds of the Great White Way. All of them need love, care, and another chance at life.
Covenant House provides food, shelter, immediate crisis care, and essential services to homeless, throwaway, and runaway kids in 21 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. We strive to move each young person forward to an independent adulthood, free from the risk of future homelessness.
For basic facts about Covenant House's Sleep Out: Broadway Edition, watch the video below! Read more about the Broadway Sleep Out in this Broadway.com article
Audra McDonald, six-time Tony-winning star of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, has announced that she will be joining the Covenant House International Board of Directors this September. Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless and runaway youth. In a show of solidarity with the organization, McDonald has promised to sleep outside with homeless youth one night this summer as part of the fundraising event "Sleep Out: Broadway Edition 2014." 
The Broadway star is also offering an array of Audrified prizes to encourage donations that will help reach her personal $10,000 fundraising goal. The stipulations are as follows:
·For a $35 donation, Audra will recognize you in a "Cool People Hall of Fame" on her Facebook page.
·For a $100 donation, Audra will give you a shout-out on Twitter.
·For a $275 donation, Audra will send you a personalized autographed copy of the Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill cast recording (courtesy of PS Classics).
·For a $500 donation, Audra will record your voicemail greeting (sent as an MP3).
·For a $1,000 donation, Audra will sing happy birthday on video to you or a special person of your choosing.
To visit McDonald's personal fundraising page or to make a donation to Covenant House, click here.
This article was published on August 8, 2014. It was written by Haley Levitt. You can view the original article here. The photo was taken by David Gordon.
Audra McDonald, David Henry Hwang, Susan Blackwell, Tom Viola To Sleep On Streets for Homeless Youth
Joining Sebastian Arcelus (House of Cards), Denis O’Hare (True Blood, American Horror Story) and Over 60 Others on August 17 at the Covenant House Second Annual Sleep Out: Broadway Edition
Six-time Tony-award winner Audra McDonald and David Henry Hwang, two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, will be sleeping on the streets of New York City in support of homeless youth on August 17.
They will be joined by performer, writer, educator and business consultant Susan Blackwell and Tom Viola, Executive Director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, along with many of Broadway's biggest stars, producers and composers, including: Tony-nominated actress Stephanie J. Block; actress and singer Capathia Jenkins; director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun; Sebastian Arcelus; and Denis O’Hare. (To see complete list of participants, go to www.broadwaysleepout.com)
“These are star performers, composers and directors who have selflessly decided they want to walk in our kids’ shoes, and experience, if only for one night, some of what our kids go through,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. “We will sleep out to show our support and to raise awareness that thousands of young people are struggling to survive every night on our streets.”
The Sleep Out is a one-night fundraising event, beginning with the young people at Covenant House meeting and speaking with the Broadway community at the Crisis Shelter at 460 West 41st Street. Tours of the shelter will be given, and then sleepers will receive cardboard boxes, sleeping bags, and a safe piece of pavement for the night. This year, Sweet Hospitality Group, the premier concessionaire and catering company on and off Broadway, will be donating snacks to the over 300 young people inside our Covenant House Crisis Shelter during the Sleep Out.
Sleep Out: Broadway Edition will be held on August 17, 2014 and is open to any member of the theatrical community who has worked on a Broadway or Off-Broadway production in any capacity. To get involved, contact Melissa Lee at mlee@covenanthouse.org or 212-727-4012.
Check out this video:
For Press Inquires: Tom Manning, Covenant House
(212) 727-4920 (office)
(845) 300-2126 (cell)
C.C. Hampton, Covenant House
(212) 727-6582 (office)
(501) 517.4476 (cell)
Sunday night, August 17th the talented Broadway community slumbered on the Hell's Kitchen street in solidarity with Covenant House. Six time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald joined David Hare, Chuck Cooper, Sebastian Arcelus, David Henry Hwang, Capathia Jenkins, Stephanie J. Block, Jeff Calhoun, directors, composers, performers, stagehands and Covenant House New York Crisis shelter residents in Coleman donated sleeping bags for a night on the street.
The 4th Annual Sleep Out Broadway Edition is about bringing awareness and support to New York's largest NGO dedicated to providing shelter, food and crisis care for homeless, runaway and at risk youth.
"These are star performers, composers, and directors who have selflessly decided they want to walk in our kids' shoes, and experience if only for one night, some of what our kids go through," said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper modestly shares, "I'm here because I realized not so long ago I don't give back enough. I've been given a lot and I need to give back and this is my attempt to do that."
Sebastian Arcelus inspires us to know, "It's a wonderful experience to meet all the young man and women who come looking for support from Covenant House. It's a remarkable organization that truly changes lives and helps them transition on to their own feet. We don't even pretend that in anyway we can truly understand the trials and tribulations these folks deal with and continue to deal with nut to be able to engage in discussion we are able to learn a little about the struggle in life. It's a very cathartic evening. In whatever small way we can help support them and raise valuable funds it's important to get the word out. The imprint these folks leave on you just getting to talk and share their stories is life changing."
Broadway diva Capathia Jenkins sums up the dedicated theater community, "The Broadway community is a special one when we step up to a cause it's with our hearts wide open."
This article was published on August 18, 2014. It was written by Yvonna Russell. You can view the original article here
April DeLira wasn't yet a teenager when she became homeless in Anchorage. She was just starting high school when she found out she was pregnant.
Raised with men who she said physically and sexually abused her, she found life on the street "safer than being at home." At times she spent her nights in abandoned buildings, crashing parties or sometimes staying with strangers, with whom she traded cooking and cleaning services for "a spot on the floor in the corner."
Today, though, her life is much different: She's a resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis. She got married four years ago and now has two children, a 3-year-old daughter and her 20-year-old son, Casey.
"It was terrifying when I found out I was pregnant," DeLira, now 35, said of her first pregnancy in 1993. "I found out the day I was going to start ninth grade. I was at the bus stop, getting ready to take the People Mover to East High School, not knowing the implications."
DeLira said it wasn't long before she felt pressured to withdraw from high school. At the age of 15, and with a newborn in tow, she proceeded to live a transient lifestyle. She had previously been homeless, off and on, since she was just 11 years old.
"I didn't really see myself as homeless. I don't think I knew what homeless was; I wasn't sleeping on the street," said DeLira. "I considered having a place to sleep at night not homeless -- even if I was staying at an abandoned house. I didn't have a lot of experience. I had a lack of knowledge about what was normal."
But through all of her varied and less-than-ideal living situations, she also found a "home" at Covenant House, the teen homeless shelter in downtown Anchorage. It was there she learned to play pingpong and once ate a Thanksgiving meal with a Star Trek fan club. .jpg)
She'd first stayed at Covenant House when she was 12, using her sister's name because she had to be at least 13 to stay at the facility. She would look out the window of the shelter and watch people as they strolled by.
"The Thanksgiving and Christmas season, in particular, was an amazing time to be with them," DeLira said. "The original Covenant House was across from the performing arts center and my regular room had a window facing it. Covenant House is where I met my first real best friend, Rose. We were both 'regulars' and spent night after night watching the families come and go, all dressed up."
Teen parents weren't allowed to stay at Covenant House, but she began working with the nonprofit's outreach program after spending four months in Nome and then returning to Anchorage. They helped enroll her in educational programs, gave her work and provided a safe place for her son while she worked toward a high school diploma.
When she was without a regular place to live, she stayed with friends for weeks at a time, attempted to make a relationship work with her son's father, moved to California to live with her own father and eventually returned to Alaska.
"It was day-to-day, do what you have to do, and you didn't have the time to think beyond that," said DeLira. "That's what it was like for a few years." She described times in her youth in which she traded "services and things" for food, and other times just went hungry.
Through Covenant House, she met Barbara Dexter, a teen outreach specialist. DeLira said when she wasn't where she needed to be, "Barb" would track her down. And as DeLira got older, Dexter continued to support her.
DeLira received her high school diploma in 1997 at the age of 18. Dexter was at her graduation. And in June, when DeLira graduated from medical school at the University of Washington, Dexter attended the ceremony.
"When my own parents dropped me, didn't show up, didn't call, Casey's dad wasn't there or there was any situation where I was left to feel alone, I could stop and remember that there were a lot of people who cared for us," said DeLira.
She said Covenant House never left her, and because of the "love" she was given there, DeLira said, she will continue to help others like her -- teens and young parents who aren't given the same luxuries that "normal" teenagers are.
DeLira said she and her son have gone to an "extensive amount of therapy to process" all that has happened in their lives, although she doesn't believe that Casey remembers much.
Both mother and son have done volunteer work to give back to society and repay what's been done for them.
"I think he forgets sometimes and I have to remind him why we are where we are. I remind him of all the people it took around us to get here," she said.
DeLira and Casey no longer live near each other, though. DeLira said her son stayed in Seattle while she, her toddler and husband moved to Memphis, where even as a professional she's trying to give to those who need her help.
"We were looking for a place where there was health disparities and low income," DeLira said.
She said she hopes to one day come back to Alaska to help people in rural communities, as specialty doctors can be hard to find in some of the state's more remote areas.
This is article was published in the Alaska Dispatch News on August 25, 2014. It was written by Megan Edge. You can view the original article here.
On Monday, September 8, 2014, a group of Covenant House kids along with Dr. Madye Henson (Executive Director of Covenant House Washington), and Covenant House President, Kevin Ryan presented Senator Cory Booker with the signatures of 48,851 people who support the passage of five anti-rafficking bills designed to protect our kids.
If passed, these laws would help prevent kids from falling prey to this despicable industry, impose harsher punishments on traffickers and provide support for victims. But we need the Senate to prioritize them.
The bills before the Senate include:
With the support of nearly 50,000 Covenant House advocates – compassionate people who believe every child deserves a safe place to sleep – we stood up for thousands of vulnerable homeless kids in the U.S.
If you didn't get a chance to sign the petition, it's not too late! Your support is critical to our movement – sign the petition here.
Together, we will continue to show the Senate that we will never stop fighting to protect our country's children – and neither should they.
A case making its way through the courts in Washington State holds high stakes for trafficked children who have been waging a steep uphill battle against corporate behemoth Backpage.com for years. Three Washington State girls, seventh and ninth graders, are fighting back against the website that advertised them multiple times a day.
The girls seek damages from Backpage.com -- believed to sell the most online prostitution ads involving children in the country -- for creating an illegal online marketplace and policing it in bad faith. After Backpage.com published their pictures and sales pitches about them, the girls, ages 13 and 15, were repeatedly raped by customers.
Covenant House is joining as a friend of the court in the lawsuit, which represents our best hope for pushing back against the relentless, web-based commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth.
These are children too young to give consent, who are, by federal law, victims of human trafficking, and by state law, victims of statutory rape.
Backpage.com wants the case dismissed, arguing that under the Communications Decency Act (CDA), as an Internet service provider, it is not liable for the content other people post, and is even protected from being taken to court in the first place. The trial court refused to dismiss the case, and Backpage is appealing that decision.
We are in good company in this battle to keep the website from hiding behind the skirts of the CDA, which was written expressly to protect children from the darker crevices of the internet. Together with the National Crime Victim Law Institute,Shared Hope International, and the Human Rights Project for Girls, we submitted an amicus brief in support of the girls' constitutional right to have access to justice.
We are voicing our support for the girls because Congress, when it passed the CDA, "intended to protect ... websites that tried to eliminate unlawful content, not websites whose entire business model is profiting from unlawful conduct," as the girls say in their lawsuit. In our brief, which was endorsed by 47 other groups that oppose sex trafficking of minors, we argue that throwing the case out of court would simply protect a company that facilitates criminal conduct devastating to children -- a protection that Congress surely did not intend.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also weighed in on the case, submitting a friend-of-the-court brief that is stunning in its depiction of Backpage's corporate behavior. The Center has worked closely with Backpage, which sent it 1,595 ads in the first eight months of 2011 that the website suspected involve children. Backpage touts this effort, saying it "takes extensive efforts to preventpossible sex trafficking ads, including by enforcing its posting rules, using automated filters to block ads," and encouraging readers to flag inappropriate ads.
But the Center's brief describes how Backpage has failed in its policing of the site, and refused to take reasonable steps that would save children from a reality of daily, multiple rapes and exploitation.
Here's how the Center describes it in its brief:
Backpage guides traffickers through the process of developing ads, and prompts users to enter an adult age, rather than a child's age, to create an escort ad. Backpage allows traffickers to pay to advertise children for sex using anonymous payment methods, making it nearly impossible for law enforcement to track the source of payments. For traffickers not savvy enough to think of using anonymous gift cards on their own, Backpage has advised them exactly how to get and use them. Backpage removes sting ads placed by law enforcement for investigating child sex trafficking. Backpage accepts and retains payment not only for ads it believes relate to child sex trafficking, but also for ads repeatedly reported by parents and loved ones of child victims. And Backpage does not remove from public view all active ads that it reports to NCMEC for suspected child sex trafficking.
Here's the part that shook me to the core. NCMEC quotes messages sent to Backpage from family members of trafficked children. Imagine what it's like to type these words:
Please remove this. This is my 16 year old daughter's picture. I e-mailed already. Whoever's posting this please block their card or email from posting.
This ad has photos of my 16 year old sister who is currently being trafficked and we are trying to get home. We have an active investigation going on and am trying to get her away from her pimp and bring her home. Please stop allowing whoever it is to post her. She only a minor and we want her home.
But when those family members hit the "Report Ad" button, here's the response they get from Backpage, according to NCMEC:
If you accidentally reported this ad, do not worry. It takes multiple reports from multiple people for an ad to be removed.
Really? Truly?
NCMEC notes that Backpage has allowed the people who post suspect ads to use the exact same photos, ads, and contact information again.
But when FAIR Girls, a nonprofit anti-trafficking group that has filed a friend of the court brief in this case, submitted an ad in the adult section of Backpage encouraging victims to seek help by calling them at 855-900-3247 (FAIR), Backpage would not let it post the ad there.
Our friends at the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women summed up our concerns clearly in their own amicus brief: "Backpage.com cannot hide behind protestations of being a neutral content provider and avoid its responsibility for the egregious violations of human rights from which it directly profits."
We need the court to come to the same conclusion.
Follow Kevin M. Ryan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/covhouseprez
Covenant House is pleased to announce that our friends at Durga Tree International are once again holding their annual Masquerade Ball on Saturday, November 1st to help support Casa Alianza.
Last year's evening was a resounding success for Durga Tree, raising over $40,000, after expenses. This year, they hope to make it even bigger & better and they have generously chosen Casa Alianza as one of the handful of organizations that will be receiving donations as a result.
“Let us help you continue with the fabulous job you are doing in the efforts to eradicate human trafficking around the world!” said Durga Tree International.
Durga Tree International fosters the growth and success of charities like Covenant House who are working to eradicate human trafficking. Because of this important partnership, child-victims of trafficking in five Latin American countries will receive vital services and loving care through our Casa Alianza program.
Take a moment to look at photos from last year's event
If you live in the area, we invite you to purchase tickets to this magical evening that will take place at the exclusive Hudson Farm in Andover, NJ. Click here to reserve tickets today
You can also show your support by advertizing in the Masquerade Ball journal or by becoming an event sponsor. Click here for more information. And you can even hit the "Share" button at the bottom of this page to help us raise awareness for this exceptional opportunity for our young people.
Covenant House is truly grateful to Durga Tree International for helping make a difference in the battle to end modern day slavery.
Red Bull Arena will host the first ever Covenant House Sleep Out: New York Red Bulls Edition, on October 17, to raise awareness and funds for New Jersey’s homeless youth.
The sleep out, presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ), will unite fans of the Red Bulls, Horizon and New York Red Bull employees and local soccer enthusiasts, who will sleep at the arena overnight in support of homeless youth.
“This Sleep Out with the Red Bulls and Horizon is going to touch the lives of so many homeless kids in New Jersey in such a powerful, tangible way,” said Covenant House New Jersey Executive Director Jim White. “It is amazing that the Red Bulls have agreed to let us use their beautiful arena and have rallied around the cause of supporting homeless youth. We thank Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey for its leadership and commend Horizon employees for participating in this charitable effort.
“The sight of hundreds of people on cardboard boxes sleeping out on behalf of homeless youth will make such a powerful statement,” said White. “This Sleep Out is about raising funds for our kids, and raising awareness. But it is also a powerful human rights movement … a movement that says it is not ok for kids to be homeless on the streets of New Jersey.”
Throughout the course of the evening, participants will have the opportunity to meet with Red Bulls team members, as they rally around the important issue of youth homelessness.
“The Red Bulls are proud to join together with Covenant House New Jersey to raise awareness around youth homelessness in New Jersey,” said Red Bulls Head of Commercial Operations Marc de Grandpre. “We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with Covenant House New Jersey to help homeless children and lend our support on an important issue in our community.”
“Horizon is very excited to be part of this special event that will raise the awareness of youth homelessness and we will encourage our employees to get involved and hopefully pack the stadium,” said Jonathan R. Pearson, Director of Corporate Philanthropy and Community Affairs. “I want to thank the Red Bulls for hosting the Sleep Out and for supporting the important work of Covenant House in Newark and the neighboring communities to help children and families.”
“There are homeless kids all across New Jersey, sleeping in parks, under the boardwalks, and abandoned buildings, but they are largely invisible,” said Covenant House President Kevin Ryan. “Homeless teenagers blend in, they couch-surf, they hide in the wide open. They’re running from violence and abuse. Or a parent died. Or poverty crushed their families. Or drug addiction scalded their homes and they have no one left to look out for them.
“No one is saying sleeping at the Red Bull arena for one night is anything like what homeless kids go through on the streets,” said Ryan. “But the funds and awareness raised at this Sleep Out will help Covenant House save the lives of more homeless kids.”
For more information about how you can support the Covenant House Sleep Out: New York Red Bulls Edition, presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, contact Janette Scrozzo at jscrozzo@covenanthouse.org or Wayne Paglieri at wpaglieri@covenanthouse.org.
From 7 to 11 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 3, the 125-year-old marble halls of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Hennessy Hall Mansion at 285 Madison Ave. will be filled with guests attending the Covenant House Auxiliary of Morris County’s 31st annual Fall Benefit, “Gala at Gatsby’s.”
After walking through the 100-room Georgian style masterpiece, which was originally the home of the Vanderbilt-Twombly family, Covenant House Auxiliary co-presidents, Cara DePaul and Mary Beth Flanagan said they decided that an elegant “Great Gatsby” theme would suit the venue perfectly.
At-Risk Young People
More than 250 guests attended last year’s fall event, raising funds and corporate sponsorships totaling $55,000, which directly benefited Covenant House New Jersey. Each year, Covenant House New Jersey serves 2,000 homeless, runaway and at-risk young people between the ages of 18 and 21, by first responding to their immediate and basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare; and then by giving them the support they need to become self-sufficient and independent young adults. The nonprofit organization has statewide residential programs that offer education, vocation, medical, and legal services to the young people who walk through its doors. For information about the work the Covenant House accomplishes, visitwww.covenanthousenj.org.
In addition to the annual fall benefit, the auxiliary hosts a Baby Shower each May for the young, formerly homeless mothers and their babies, who now reside in the Covenant House “Raphael Life House” in Elizabeth. Flanagan remarked, “It is always a special day filled with love and laughter between two seemingly different groups of women. It is heart-warming to see the understanding and needs of motherhood binding the two groups together in friendship.”
‘Love And Happiness’
The auxiliary members also make several trips to the Covenant House Newark Crisis Center to share holiday fun and create happy memories with the young people who benefit from their efforts. At Halloween, they and their children carve jack-o-lanterns with the Covenant House residents. At Christmas, the group visits in early December to deck their halls for the holidays.
Flanagan noted, “There is so much love and happiness in this building filled with young people who come from extremely challenging backgrounds. Covenant House works tirelessly to provide them with all the love, nurturing and guidance they need to become self-sufficient and independent young adults.”
Begun In 1980s
The Covenant House Auxiliary of Morris County began in the early 1980s when a small group of Madison women, headed by Ethel Cunningham, decided to do something about the growing issue of youth homelessness in the greater New York City area. When Newark’s Covenant House opened, the Madison group redirected its efforts more locally to the New Jersey location, and then the group and its contributions really began to grow. Today, the auxiliary is made up of 25 people from Madison, Chatham, Florham Park and Harding Township, and continues the work started by the auxiliary more than 30 years ago.
To get involved with the Covenant House Auxiliary of Morris County, purchase a $75 ticket to this Friday’s “Gala at Gatsby’s,” or sponsor and support the event, call Mary Beth Flanagan at (973) 845-9320.
