History

n       Covenant House International

l       Covenant House Florida—Ft. Lauderdale

u    Covenant House Florida—Orlando

1969:

n       informal ministry to street kids founded in New York City by Father Bruce Ritter, a Roman Catholic priest

1972:

n       Covenant House incorporated in New York, providing group homes for kids

1977:

n       launching of revolutionary open-intake crisis shelter in New York

n       formation of Covenant House Faith Community, full-time volunteers who commit a year of prayer and service to kids

1981:

n       Casa Alianza Guatemala—“Covenant House” in Spanish—(Antigua)

1982:

n       Covenant House Toronto (Canada)

l       Fort Lauderdale community leaders—including Judge Estella Moriarty and Joseph Sciortino, President of Plantation Sysco—asked Covenant House to open a program near the Fort Lauderdale beach

1983:

n       Covenant House Texas (Houston)

l       Covenant House incorporated in Ft. Lauderdale

l       some neighbors organized an association to thwart Covenant House’s development in the beach area 

l       Broward County supporters held numerous fundraising activities including adult events and a youth walk-a-thon to raise money for the down payment toward the purchase of the Sand Castle Motel, a block from the Fort Lauderdale “Strip”

1984:

l       the City of Fort Lauderdale issued Covenant House a building permit, and renovations commenced; beach property owners filed two lawsuits against the city for allowing Covenant House to proceed; both suits were dismissed in the fall

l       Nancy Lee Matthews selected from a national search as Executive Director of Covenant House Florida  

1985:

n       Covenant House received consultative status to the United Nations

l       opening of Covenant House Florida, providing emergency shelter and counseling to a steadily increasing census of runaway and homeless youth under 21 including teen parents and their babies

l       Covenant House Florida received a Community Appearance Award from the City of Fort Lauderdale for outstanding aesthetic improvement to the land, buildings, and neighborhood

1986:

n       Casa Alianza Guatemala (Guatemala City)

1987:

n       Covenant House Nineline, national, 24-hour hotline for kids and parents

n       Covenant House New Orleans

n       Casa Alianza Honduras (Tegucigalpa)

n       Casa Alianza Panama (Panama City—closed in 1992)

l       addition of G.E.D. (General Education Diploma) classes on-site to assist older youths in attaining high-school equivalency

l       inauguration of C.H.A.M.P. (Covenant House Addictions Management Project)

1988:

n       Covenant House Alaska (Anchorage)

n       Covenant House California (Los Angeles)

n       Casa Alianza Mexico (Mexico City)

l       opening of Rights of Passage—a long-term transitional home for older boys

1989:

l       launching of "Off the Streets" van project

l       inception of pastoral ministry with voluntary daily morning prayer

l       opening of Community Service Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale

1990:

n       Covenant House New Jersey (Newark and Atlantic City)

n       resignation of Father Bruce Ritter as President of Covenant House amid allegations of impropriety followed by cutbacks at all Covenant House sites

l       downsizing including close of Rights of Passage while Covenant House Florida friends rallied to ensure ongoing funding for essential services for kids in crisis

n       Sister Mary Rose McGeady, D.C. named Covenant House President

l       Covenant House Florida's Fifth Anniversary

1991:

l       formation of Young Professionals for Covenant House

1993:

l       beginning of formal Family Counseling Project

l       development of on-site school for younger teens

1994:

l       reopening of Rights of Passage, supportive independent living for older adolescents in apartments

l       implementation of Runaway Prevention Project in Broward County public and private middle and high schools

1995:

n       Covenant House Washington, D.C.

l       development of Employment Assistance Project

l       Covenant House Florida's Tenth Anniversary

u    initiation of needs assessment and street outreach in Orlando

1996:

l       expansion of Runaway Prevention Project to Miami-Dade County public and private middle and high schools

u    opening of Covenant House Florida Orlando Community Service Center; expansion of Runaway Prevention Project to Orange County public and private middle and high schools

1997:

n       Covenant House celebrates 25 years, a milestone of service to over 400,000 kids

n       Covenant House Michigan (Detroit)

n       Covenant House Vancouver (Canada)

l       David J. Spellman, who served Covenant House Florida in leadership positions since 1985, was named Executive Director of Covenant House Florida following the retirement of Nancy Lee Matthews

1998:

n       Covenant House Missouri (St. Louis)

n       Covenant House California (Oakland)

n       Casa Alianza Nicaragua (Managua)

u    after selecting a site for an Orlando shelter following a year-long search, Covenant House Florida was prevented from proceeding with the purchase of this property after neighbors launched “Not In My Back Yard” efforts and the City of Orlando enacted an ordinance redefining where residential social service facilities could locate

1999:

n       Covenant House Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

l       suspension of Family Counseling Project

u    inauguration of transitional housing project in Orlando

u    purchase of an Orlando shelter site in unincorporated Orange County

n       Covenant House Georgia (Atlanta)

l       formation of BACH (Benefactors Advancing Covenant House)

l       opening of Rights of Passage on-site—an intermediate step between crisis shelter and subsidized apartments

u    opening of Covenant House Florida Orlando shelter

l       Covenant House Florida’s Fifteenth Anniversary in Ft. Lauderdale and Fifth Anniversary in Orlando

2001:

l       Covenant House Florida volunteers in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando honored as one of Governor Jeb Bush's Points of Light

l       suspension of Runaway Prevention Project

l       suspension of on-site Rights of Passage

l       relocation of limited Ft. Lauderdale community services to shelter property

u    relocation of Orlando community services to shelter property

2002:

l       resumption of Ft. Lauderdale Family Counseling Project

2003:

n       Sister Patricia A. Cruise, S.C. named President of Covenant House following the retirement of Sister Mary Rose McGeady, D.C. after her 75^th birthday

l       James M. Gress, who served Covenant House Florida in program administration positions since 1985 and was instrumental in developing the Orlando program, was named Executive Director of Covenant House Florida following the resignation of David J. Spellman

l       resumption of Rights of Passage on-site—an intermediate step between crisis shelter and subsidized apartments

Contact Us          Donate Now