Enhancing Public Health and Safety- A Comprehensive Analysis of the Contributions of Covenant House to Community Well-Being and Equal Opportunity

Enhancing Public Health and Safety- A Comprehensive Analysis of the Contributions of Covenant House to Community Well-Being and Equal Opportunity

Homelessness is becoming a major issue of public health concern in the United States. An estimated 1.5 million Americans experience a form of homelessness annually, including living on the streets, in shelter homes, in transnational housing programs, or doubling up with family or friends. Currently, 18 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S. are homeless. Homelessness is currently rising at an estimated annual rate of 6 percent (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). This article reviews Covenant House and its role in contributing to public health and safety for the youth in the U.S.

Covenant House is a privately funded leading charity organization in North and Central America. Its main aim is to provide immediate and long-term support to young people who are homeless and have experienced and survived incidents of human trafficking (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The Convent house also provides support to at-risk youth. The organization’s services are holistic in that, besides providing shelter, Covenant House programs help create a safe, loving, and comfortable environment for homeless youth to heal their mental issues, get empowered, and overcome adversity (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The overall goal of Covenant House is to encourage the youth to be resilient regardless of their current and previous lives so that they can build a future of their own. The organization is open and accessible to the youth on a full-time basis with the aim of receiving youth in need at any time they need help.

Covenant House Mission and Vision and Contribution to Public Health and Safety Improvements

Covenant House’s mission is to “serve children and youth on the street and protect and safeguard all children and youth with absolute respect and unconditional love.” Its vision is “To lead change that supports and empowers youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk to pursue a life of wellness and opportunity.” The mission and vision statements have been the driving force and have helped the organization improve public health and safety for children and youth taken under its programs. As per Covenant House’s mission statement, no young person deserves to be on the street due to homelessness. The organization is committed to protecting and safeguarding all children, providing them unconditional love regardless of their social backgrounds. The organization also has the vision to be the leading provider of safe shelter for the youth and create a world where every child feels loved and cared for, and all can reach their dreams. Homelessness among the youth is linked to the current mental health and substance abuse crisis in the U.S. (Wang et al., 2019). Experiencing homelessness also leads to poor social, emotional, and physical development, with an impact on physical and mental well-being (Grattan et al., 2022).

Covenant House, through its sheltering, education, and rehabilitation programs designed to align with its mission and vision, is contributing to improving public health and safety by addressing the immediate needs of homeless and at-risk youth, managing their mental health, improving their resilience, and providing them with hope for a better future.

Covenant House’s Ability to Promote Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life in the Community

Covenant House has the ability to promote equal opportunity and improve the quality of life in the community. Firstly, as per its mission, Covenant House is focused on providing shelter for young children and the youth, as well as those who have experienced human trafficking. Covenant House understands that although an estimated 4.2 million young people in the U.S. are expected to experience homelessness annually, a majority of these are forced into being homeless due to a number of factors (covenanthouse.org, 2023). The organization has sufficient funding from donors, philanthropic institutions, and partners, enabling it to fund its operations and programs.

Although homelessness is mostly associated with adults, youth homelessness is due to multiple complex interactions between social, cultural, and economic factors. In the United States, more youth are experiencing homelessness as a result of family violence and conflict, child abuse and neglect, and drug abuse (Wang et al., 2019). To promote equal opportunity in the community, Covenant House notes that its programs adopt an open intake policy in which all youth are welcome without judgment or conditions, regardless of their reasons or factors for homelessness. Covenant Houses provides care and services that meet immediate basic needs such as clothing, a bed, food, and medical care at no cost. Additionally, the organization is able to improve the quality of life in the community as its programs, besides providing food, shelter, and medical care, provide long-term services, including supporting education, equipping the youth with skills to be job readiness and employability, as well as transitional housing to help youth get ready for their future life. The programs also provide sufficient long-term support to ensure the youth develop sustainable independence and become hopeful for a better future. However, the organization is likely to face social and cultural barriers related to mistrust from particular social and racial groups due to past experiences. Additionally, physical barriers may prevent the organization from reaching other young people in need of shelter and care.

Impact of Funding Sources, Policy, and Legislation on the Covenant House’s Provision of Services

Funding sources and current policies and legislation, especially those related to handling children and the youth, have a significant impact on Covenant House’s ability to provide services. Funding sources, especially donors, and the adequacy of the funding can influence the type of programs and services Covenant House provides and the type of children and youth the services target. On the other hand, policies and legislation impact how Covenant House provides its services to the youth, children, and victims of human trafficking by shaping the environment for handling such individuals as well as receiving and managing funds. Failure to get sufficient funding due to an unfavorable economic situation, as well as restrictive policies and regulations, can limit Covenant House’s capacity and ability to provide its current services, making the services inaccessible to individuals and aggregates within the community.

Impact of Covenant House’s Work on Local Community’s Health and/or Safety

Covenant House’s programs have significantly impacted the local community’s health and safety. Since it was opened in 1972, it has supported and provided shelter to over 1.5 million young people. It currently provides shelter to over 2000 youth and young people on a daily basis. Removing the young and the youth from the streets and providing care to trafficking victims reduces the risks of mental health issues, disease, and drug use among the youth. Programs such as job mentorship, transitional housing, and education improve the community’s overall health and safety as they reduce dependency and strain on the local community and health resources.

How Nurses Might Get Involved with Covenant House

Nurses have an opportunity to be involved with Covenant House and support its mission and programs. For instance, they can contribute to the Covenant House’s mission by providing voluntary care services, from disease treatment testing to mental health services to sheltered youth, as well as health education services. Nurses can also be advocates for policies that favor Covenant House’s programs, including federal funding. Additionally, nurses can get involved with Covenant House by making contributions to the organization’s programs that support the maintenance of the sheltered youth.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Homelessness as a Public Health Law Issue. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/resources/resources-homelessness.html

Covenanthouse.org. (2023). About Us; Who & How We Serve-Covenant House International. https://www.covenanthouse.org/aboutus

Grattan, R. E., Tryon, V. L., Lara, N., Gabrielian, S. E., Melnikow, J., & Niendam, T. A. (2022). Risk and Resilience Factors for Youth Homelessness in Western Countries: A Systematic Review. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.), 73(4), 425–438. https://doi.org/10.1176/APPI.PS.202000133

National Health Care for the Homeless Council. (2019). Homelessness & health: What’s the connection? www.nhchc.org

Wang, J. Z., Mott, S., Magwood, O., Mathew, C., Mclellan, A., Kpade, V., Gaba, P., Kozloff, N., Pottie, K., & Andermann, A. (2019). The impact of interventions for youth experiencing homelessness on housing, mental health, substance use, and family cohesion: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-019-7856-0

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Research a selected local, national, or global nonprofit organization or government agency to determine how it contributes to public health and safety improvements, promotes equal opportunity, and improves the quality of life within the community. Submit your findings in a 3-5 page report.

First, select one of the local, national, or global nonprofit organizations or government agencies presented in the Assessment 02 Supplement: Community Resources [PDF] Download Assessment 02 Supplement: Community Resources [PDF]resource.

Then, research the nonprofit organization or government agency that you selected. Determine how the organization or agency contributes to public health and safety improvements, promotes equal opportunity, and improves the quality of life within the community. Submit your findings in a 3–5 page report structured according to the following specifications:

Document Format and Length
Format your paper using APA style.

Refer to the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include:
A title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
Appropriate section headings.
Your paper should comprise 3–5 pages of content plus title and references pages.
Supporting Evidence
Cite at least three credible sources from peer-reviewed journals or professional industry publications published within the past 5 years that support your research findings.

Graded Requirements
The research requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the assessment scoring guide, so be sure to address each point.

Explain how the organization’s mission and vision enable it to contribute to public health and safety improvements.
Include examples of ways a local and/or global initiative supports organizational mission and vision and promotes public health and safety.
Evaluate an organization’s ability to promote equal opportunity and improve the quality of life in the community.
Consider the effects of social, cultural, economic, and physical barriers.
Assess the impact of funding sources, policy, and legislation on the organization’s provision of services.
Consider the potential implications of funding decisions, policy, and legislation for individuals, families, and aggregates within the community.
Explain how an organization’s work impacts the health and/or safety needs of a local community.
Consider how nurses might become involved with the organization.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contain few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references, exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.
Write with a specific purpose and audience in mind.
Adhere to scholarly and disciplinary writing standards and APA formatting requirements.