David Helps Out

He used to be on the streets himself, struggling to live day by day. Now, he goes out each night hoping to help save kids that are in the same situation that he was once in. David is a 19-year-old youth at Covenant House California who works as an intern with CHC’s Outreach Program.

“It’s difficult on the streets when you’re young. You don’t know what to do,” he says. “You’re always having to look for a place to sleep, find blankets, and look for a place where the police won’t bother you. I know what it’s like.”

David didn’t get along with his parents and so at the age of fifteen, he simply left home. He lived on the streets for years going from drop-in shelter to drop-in shelter and sleeping wherever he could. As he grew older, his outlook on life changed though. “I didn’t want to be a bum on the streets anymore. I wanted to get my life together.”

When David turned 18, he soon found that he had aged-out of the drop-in shelters he had been using. With no place to go and desperate to find a place to stay, he called CHC’s Nineline for help. He was referred to Covenant House California. David quickly discovered CHC is more than just a shelter. “I was surprised at how structured the program is and the things they require you to do. They make you save almost all of your paycheck!” he says, referring to the requirement that clients are required to save 90% of their paycheck to prepare themselves for independent living.

“They gave me a roof over my head but they expect a lot of out of you to progress,” he says. “I didn’t even know how to make a bed before I came here.”

Now, as part of the Outreach program, David has a job that allows him to help others that are in the same situation that he was once in. “I like doing it. I like telling people what CHC has to offer. It makes me happy to be out there making a difference just like CHC did for me.”

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