Covenant House Illinois

03/30/2022

Meet local baker, Jane Lee! This month, Jane's virtual bake sale with the slogan Eat Cookies for Good raised almost $400 for Covenant House Illinois! Thank you, Jane, for raising critical funding and awareness for Covenant House Illinois!

Do you have a special talent or idea for a personalized fundraising campaign? We are here to help you plan a third-party fundraiser for Covenant House Illinois. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/74NT50Iwz5o

03/28/2022

March is Social Work Awareness Month! This month – and all year long – we’re so grateful for the amazing social workers at CHIL and in our community. Our Case Manager social workers provide one-on-one care to every youth in our programs, helping each realize their short and long-term goals to establish their independence. Take a moment today to say “thank you” to show your gratitude to the social workers in your life!

03/16/2022

Don't forget to make your March Gladness bracket donation and fill out your bracket before the deadline tomorrow (March 17th) at noon!

1. Make your bracket donation to CHIL here: http://ow.ly/pLxG50IkVGB

2. Fill out your bracket here:
https://picks.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/bracket/pools/kbxw63b2g4ydmmzqgyzq====/standings?mc_cid=1360f5b799&mc_eid=7eac8babcc

Together we can turn March's Madness into GLADNESS for our youth!

03/11/2022

CHIL’s Associate Board is hosting its 5th Annual March Gladness event to support youth experiencing homelessness. Our fully virtual bracket challenge gives you a chance to win our prize pack for the top place brackets! Swipe to see the first and second place prizes – a Roots genuine leather bookbag and a leather duffle bag!

Click the link below to purchase your brackets. We will send you a link to select your picks after selection Sunday on March 13th.
Let’s have some fun as we turn March’s Madness into GLADNESS for our youth! Make your bracket donation here: http://ow.ly/hpif50IhrUo

03/07/2022

We're Hiring!

We are searching for compassionate professionals to join our growing team!

We work to empower young people as they overcome obstacles, strengthen their resilience, and find their path to independence.
If you believe every young adult deserves high-quality care, see what joining the Covenant House Illinois team means.

Apply today: https://www.covenanthouseil.org/work-for-chil

03/05/2022

When young people visit CHIL’s Youth Drop-in Center they often need basic necessities to keep themselves warm and healthy. Thank you QAS Scouts, BSA Troop 626 for the generous donation of winter hats & gloves as well as personal care items for our youth! If you would like to make an in-kind donation to support a young person visit our Wish List here: http://ow.ly/eKWf50I9C5F

03/03/2022

Ready for some college basketball? CHIL’s Associate Board is hosting its 5th Annual March Gladness event to support youth experiencing homelessness. This year’s event will be fully virtual via our bracket challenge giving you a chance to donate and win our prize pack for the top 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place brackets!
Click the link below to purchase your brackets. We will send you a link to select your picks after selection Sunday on March 13th.
Let’s have some fun as we turn March’s Madness into GLADNESS for our youth! Make your bracket donation here: http://ow.ly/szbv50I9bxm

02/28/2022

Check out our new looks! Thank you Dudley Beauty College for generously donating your time and talents providing haircuts for our youth! #CHIL #CovenantHouseIL

02/25/2022

Kicking-Off Our Five Year Celebration!

Since opening our doors in February of 2017, Covenant House Illinois has devoted itself to helping our region’s young people permanently break the cycle of homelessness and find their own path to sustainable independence. In just five years, CHIL has become an essential resource for young people in crisis, and today we are one of Chicago’s largest dedicated providers of shelter and supportive services for homeless youth between the ages of 18-24. Join us as we celebrate this milestone throughout the rest of 2022!

As we celebrate the tremendous impact and growth within the last five years, we look to the future with renewed hope to achieve even more ambitious objectives over the next five years. We hope you will stand with us and pledge your commitment to our city’s young people with a $50 reoccurring donation here: http://ow.ly/YgjX50I3za1

02/24/2022

Meet CHIL’s Residential Program Manager Gwen Williams-Pettis!

Gwen joined the CHIL team as our Residential Program Manager in May 2021, bringing over 25 years of experience working within social service agencies throughout Chicago. She oversees CHIL’s shelter program where youth (ages 18-24) can stay for up to 120 days while working towards their goals and building their independence.

“I’ve seen countless young people move through the program; work towards their goals; whether it be school or employment; save up and move out on their own. We have some extraordinarily resilient young people, who with just a little support and encouragement are able to overcome obstacles to build happy independent lives.”

Read the rest of Gwen's interview here: http://ow.ly/u6LF50I3rVe

02/22/2022

Join us on Thursday, February 24th for a virtual community event commemorating Black History Month! Our House, Our Power: A Showcase of Blackness, Freedom and Art will host speakers and performers working to create change, especially for your people of color. Live stream the event at 5:30 Central time here: http://ow.ly/cvnA50I1y0T

02/21/2022

In February 2022, CHIL Executive Director Susan Reyna-Guerrero, LCSW was appointed to the Illinois Community Advisory Council on Homelessness by Governor JB Pritzker. The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness consists of diverse stakeholders who provide a comprehensive approach to fighting homelessness in Illinois, including representation of people with disabilities, the philanthropic sector, and local Continuums of Care.

“It is such an honor to be a part of the Community Advisory Council and to create change for Youth in Chicago experiencing homelessness.”

The Community Advisory Council on Homelessness will work with the Illinois Interagency Task Force on Homelessness to identify strategies to improve health and human services for Illinois’ homeless population, focusing on identifying local solutions and strengthening existing safety nets to address the root causes.
#CHIL #CovenantHouseIL

02/20/2022

Check out all the fun activities happening in CHIL's Youth Development Center! The Youth Development Center provides various services that meet the youth's immediate needs, including hot meals and showers, while offering daily educational, vocational, artistic, and life-skill-centered program activities that engage youth and build their skill sets in a safe, structured environment for growth.

Pictured here is a group session, "How to work through being triggered," where we talked through challenging situations and utilized painting as an outlet to channel creativity.
The YDC is open every Tuesday – Thursday from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
#CHIL #CovenantHouseIL #YouthDevelopmentCenter

02/18/2022

CHIL celebrates Amanda Gorman - an American poet, activist and changemaker. She became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history when she delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization as well as the African Diaspora.

In 2017, Amanda Gorman was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word – a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states nationally.

“There is always light. Only if we are brave enough to see it. There is always light. Only if we are brave enough to be it.”

#AmandaGorman #CHIL #CovenantHouseIL #BlackHistoryMonth

02/16/2022

Thank you Damiere Byrd for stopping by CHIL! It was a pleasure to show you our beautiful new campus and for you to meet with our youth! We look forward to the exciting things to come. #CHIL #CovenantHouseIL #EndYouthHomelessness #ChicagoBears #ChicagoBearsFootball

02/14/2022

Happy Valentine's Day from Covenant House Illinois!

We welcome and help all young people who come through our doors to find hope and progress through relentless support, unconditional love & absolute respect. Thank you to all our wonderful supporters and volunteers who make our programs possible for our youth.

Share the love this Valentine’s Day by donating to our youth here http://ow.ly/oBrm50HUKiT
#CHIL #CovenantHouseIL #ValentinesDay

02/13/2022

Marian Anderson was important figure in the struggle for African-American artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States.
In 1939 during the era of racial segregation, she was prohibited from singing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The incident placed Anderson in the spotlight of the international community. With the aid of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on April 9, 1939, on the Lincoln Memorial steps. She sang before an integrated crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions.
On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition, she worked as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States Department of State.
The recipient of numerous awards and achievements; We are honored to highlight Marian’s heroic accomplishments, as she stands as a role model for our youth at CHIL. #CHIL #CovenantHouseIL #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM