Orlando Services

ORLANDO SERVICES

Support Services

Since 1995, Covenant House Florida in Orlando has been meeting the needs of youth experiencing homelessness in the Central Florida Community. The agency offers housing options, as well as programs and services designed to meet the unique needs of youth in crisis.

Housing

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).

Community Services

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.

Education

General Education Diploma Program (GED): Over 56% of the youth served by Covenant House Florida in Orlando do not have a high school diploma. CHF offers educational services that are specially tailored to meet the individual needs of the youth. GED Classes and Post-Secondary Education Support include a full-time Education Instructor that works with youth individually at their education level, and offers educational counseling to encourage the pursuit of the youth’s post-secondary education goals. CHF has an established relationship with multiple community partners to expand the scope of services available for our program participants, to include Valencia College and Orange Technical College, where CHF youth can enroll and begin their college education with the tuition waived.

Employment

Over 70% of the youth we serve are unemployed. In order to help the youth become financially self-sufficient, CHF offers an Employment Assistance Program that focuses on obtaining and maintaining a job and includes the following topics: resume building, cover letter writing, basic customer service manners, job searching online and in-person, professional attire, conflict resolution in the workplace, personality assessment tool, career assessment, communication, teamwork, identifying internships/mentors, financial literacy and team building.

Parenting Education and Child Development

In order to help pregnant and parenting youth, our Child Development and Parenting Education offers all parenting youth family sessions with the Parenting Educator, who uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and Ages and Stages Questionnaire – Social Emotional (ASQ-SE) screening tools to assess the developmental stages of the child(ren). The Parenting Educator then works with the youth to establish goals, activities, and appropriate referrals when necessary, in order to enhance the child(ren)’s development, and work with the youth to identify goals and activities to be able to improve their parenting skills and build strong family dynamics.

Pastoral Ministry

For those seeking spiritual care, our Pastoral Minister offers voluntary religious and spiritual counseling for youth enrolled in any of the CHF programs, youth who may be incarcerated, and youth who are in the hospital and helps bridge the gap for the youth to build relationships with a religious home in the Central Florida community.