Every young person’s life experience and path to Covenant House is unique.  After a long journey to Canada, Joy arrived at Covenant House feeling vulnerable, and unsure of what to expect.

But she still had big dreams for her future.

At Covenant House – every young person arrives with their own dreams, strengths and hopes.  We welcome every young person that shows up at our doors with kindness and compassion, and our team of professionals meets them wherever they are on their journey, to help them heal and thrive.

In Joy’s case, from the moment she walked through our doors, she says she was treated with love and respect.  The day after she arrived at Covenant House happened to be her birthday - she was so caught up in everything that was happening, she forgot about it.  But staff didn’t!  The next day they surprised Joy with a birthday celebration and a cake.  “Being around people who genuinely cared for me was so much better than anything I could have hoped for,” she recalls.

As soon as she had settled in, staff started working with Joy on setting goals and healing.  Therapists focussed on her mental well-being and taught her to take time to care for herself.  Program staff worked with Joy on the life skills she would need to live independently, such as setting up a bank account and getting a health card.

Today, Joy is thriving.  She is living independently in the community, studying advertising and working towards her goals. In her spare time, she’s writing a blog aimed at inspiring other young people to hold onto their dreams, just like she did.

Joy is grateful to all the donors who support Covenant House. “It really matters, and it really does end up having a big presence in someone else’s life,” Joy says.  “For kids like me, it’s really nice to know that all these people come together to create a better world for us, right here.”