The tri-county area (Orange, Osceola, and Seminole) has limited housing options for young people experiencing homelessness. Covenant House Florida has options for youth that are unstably housed. The Rights of Passage Apartment Living (ROPAL) Program offers transitional housing beds for youth ages 18 to 24 through scattered-site apartments located in Orange and Osceola Counties. This program is partly funded by HUD through the Continuum of Care (CoC).
A vast majority of youth who are experiencing homelessness may not be ready to embrace the structure of transitional housing, but are eager to begin working towards their goals through case management and supportive services. Covenant House Florida offers two programs that meet the needs of these youth on a daily basis. The Community Services Center (CSC) serves as an integral part of Covenant House Florida. Youth from the community experiencing homelessness and housing instability are welcomed to drop-in for dignity items such as a nutritious bag lunch, hygiene products, and information about all of the services that CHF has to offer. These youth receive encouragement to enroll in case management services that help youth create a housing stability plan, and can refer youth to community resources and all of the other CHF Supportive Service Programs . Furthermore, the Street Outreach Program is comprised of outreach case managers who travel through the Central Florida region and provide case management, meals, hygiene items, transportation passes, as well as supportive services and housing referrals to youth they meet who are experiencing homelessness. Last year, 191 youth who experienced homelessness received services from the Street Outreach Program.