By Aqueila M. Lewis

Covenant House California (CHC) recently celebrated the grand opening of its Bay Area Crisis Shelter and Transitional Living Facility for 30 homeless youth between the ages of 17 and 24. Elected officials and community members gathered to meet the residents, hear about their experiences and offer their support.

   “We go out on the streets five nights a week between Tuesday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight,” said Sean Sullivan, development director at CHC. “We find them in camps of homeless individuals, young ladies that are forced into prostitution, young men that hang out on street corners or alone trying to survive.
    “When they come into our doors, they are eager to get off the streets. They are looking for support, a way out, a new direction and a family environment that will lift them up. That’s what we provide,” he said.

    The new shelter was once the home of former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. The directors of CHC remodeled the home, turning it into a safe and structured environment for Bay Area youth.
    The 17,000-square-foot shelter has 15 bedrooms and provides 24-hour care in addition to three meals a day. It also has a library, career center and computer lab and offers case management, mental health services, counseling, education and vocational training. Residents participating in the Transitional Living Rights of Passage Program can stay for up to two years.
   “Covenant House was founded about 35 years ago in New York,” said Executive Director George Lozano. “We currently have 21 sites throughout the United States, Central America, Mexico and Canada, and the two sites are in California (Hollywood and Oakland).
   “On the streets, we sometimes find homeless youth as young as 11 or 12 years old. Some of our programs, like those in Central America, assist youth as young as 9 years old. Here in Oakland, the average age is 18 or 19 years old,” said Lozano.
    On hand to celebrate the grand opening were Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, Councilwoman Jean Quan, Dr. Sandra Si and Sister Patricia Cruise, president of Covenant House International. Swanson commented that he was a troubled youth, but people offered their support to guide and mentor him through adulthood.
    Also in attendance was Paula Sue Silva, Miss Oakland 2007, who plans to work with Covenant House residents and next year’s Scholarship Pageant recipients as they complete their yearly service hours. “That’s why we are here in Oakland, to decrease the great divide and create a glue to hold the community together and put Oakland on the map in a positive way,” said Silva.
    After the ceremony, staff members and residents of the shelter offered tours to attendees.
    For information on volunteering at CHC or making a donation, call Sean Sullivan at (510) 379- 1010 or visit www.covdove.org.

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