Covenant House New Jersey

Annual Report 2015

Senior Leadership Jim White

Executive Director

Mary MacDonald

Associate Executive Director

Brian Nelson

Director South Jersey Programs

David Hall

Director North Jersey Programs

Roslyn Talley

Associate Site Director Atlantic City

Meghan Leigh

Associate Site Director Newark

Rolidel Hormazabal

Associate Site Director Newark

Marcia Mann

Senior Development Director

Janette Scrozzo

Development Director/ Corporate Engagement

Lori Lewis

Development Director Institutional Giving General Counsel

Letter from the Executive Director

How do you tell… a young person who has experienced the horror of living on the streets that life is worth living? That there’s a better way? That people care?

It takes organizational resources and buildings and programs. But without love, all these other things are an empty façade.

I’ve been blessed to do this work for over 30 years, and I know what it takes.

Love is why thousands of kids come to Covenant House from all over New Jersey, none of them forced here, none of them mandated to come through our doors. Covenant House New Jersey will help over 5,000 homeless kids this year, and each one will be shown the unconditional love and support that all kids deserve.

It takes love. The love these incredible young people somehow keep alive in their bruised hearts … and the love our staff, volunteers, and friends like you share with our kids. The kids we are privileged to help at Covenant House have been forgotten, by their families and by most everyone else. But not by us. And not by you. We see the beauty in each of our kids, and the promise. And we recognize that our kids—that all kids—have rights. The right to a home; the right to food; the right to guidance; the right to an education; to be free from sexual, emotional, or physical abuse; to be free from exploitation. Most of all, the right to be loved. We work very hard at Covenant House New Jersey to develop programs that respond to the immediate and long-term needs of our kids, and in this report you will read about new and exciting ways we are striving to bring our best selves to this work.

Thank you for entering into this sacred covenant we’ve made with homeless youth. Thank you for being with us in spirit at our front door, and with our outreach team, and in our health clinic, and in all the difficult, challenging, and incredibly rewarding face to face meetings we have with our kids. Thank you for having the courage and conviction to believe in our kids. Together we will continue to work towards the day when no young person in New Jersey will be forced to live on our streets. Peace, Jim White Executive Director, Covenant House New Jersey

Providing loving care, shelter, and vital services to homeless youth throughout the state of New Jersey. In 1989, Covenant House began its work in New Jersey by providing basic services to homeless youth on the streets of Newark and Atlantic City. Today we have locations in 27 cities across six countries and together we serve more than 51,000 homeless young people each year.

Meet Ashley He currently resides at our Rights of Passage program in Newark, and like all of our kids, has overcome great obstacles thanks to the covenant we’ve all made together.

Our Amazing Kids

“My name is Ashley.” I am 21 years old and part of the Covenant House family as well as a resident of the Rights of Passage (ROP) program. My journey to Covenant House has been a long road. I grew up in Louisiana. My mom was 19 years old when she gave birth to me. My father left when I was 2 years old. My mother worked hard to take care of me, but it was challenging and she faced many obstacles. In an effort to make a better life, she left my grandmother to take care of me. I had 3 uncles who lived in the house, each of who abused me through physical, verbal and sexual abuse. It is a painful memory that haunts me to this day. My mom found work in Connecticut and we moved. She would often leave me alone and at the very young age of 5, I learned to cook, clean and do almost everything for myself. We moved around a lot for the next several years and never stayed in one place long enough to feel secure or stable. Most of the times, the places were unsafe and unsanitary. My mom did the best she could, but between failed relationships and financial instability, I missed out on a lot. We lived paycheck to paycheck so there was no money for birthdays, Christmas or anything special at all. After my brother was born, I thought that my stepfather would take care of us, but he did not want us, either, just like my own father. While in Rosa Parks School of Performing Arts, I discovered a love for writing, reading and learning. After three different high schools, I managed to graduate. When Hurricane Sandy hit, we hit rock bottom. We were evicted from our apartment and my mom was only able to take care of my brother, so I was forced to fend for myself. With no place to go and no money in my

pocket, I was out of options. While my friends were surfing the web, I was googling how to survive. I learned to build campfires and how to identify edible plants. This all came in handy when I was forced to make a makeshift house in the middle of the woods in Asbury Park. I was roaming the streets dirty and tired when a policeman stopped to ask where I was from. I said I was homeless and living in the woods. He brought me to social services, who told me about Covenant House. It sounded like a good place and I was willing to give it a try. Naturally I was afraid when they came to pick me up, but I was assured that CH was a place that could help me get on my feet. I knew the cold winter was coming and I needed their help. I was brought to the Crisis Center in Newark. I participated in the job readiness program in the Vocational Center and found a job at American Eagle Outfitters. After sharing my passion for cooking, the staff enrolled me in the Culinary Program at the Food Bank of Hillside. I was trained in all areas of food preparation and received my food handler’s certification. I graduated and have a full-time position at the Prudential Center. I work in the VIP lounge kitchen preparing meals for team owners, executives and high rollers. I have been there for almost a year now and it’s only through connections I made at Covenant House that I was able to secure this job. Someday, I would like to attend college to pursue a degree in business and then start my own restaurant. For the past 17 months I have been living at ROP and saving my money to make a better life for myself. Without Covenant House I can’t even imagine where I would be.

Jessie’s Story Finding Help and Hope at Covenant House New Jersey’s Nancy’s Place

Our Amazing Kids

“My name is Jessie.” Both of my parents died of AIDS before I was four, and that began my journey in the foster care system. I was bounced around for a couple of years because people were afraid that I would be HIV+ like my parents. I was then adopted at age 5 by a man named Sheldon and lived with him and his boyfriend for five very happy years until Sheldon died. After that, I was soon back in the system, moving from foster homes to group homes until I was adopted again by another man named John. Things were great until I turned 18; we then started having lots of fights and John kicked me out. Some nights, I would sleep on his porch and he wouldn’t come to the door. I was homeless—scared to fall asleep, cold, hungry and alone. The only thing that kept me alive, I think, was my music. Sheldon bought me my first violin when I was five and I played all through elementary and middle school and then was selected to attend Cicely Tyson Performing Arts School. It was there that I fell in love with the cello and met my music mom, Trish, one of the teachers at the school. She and my other music mom Janet helped me with so much, including helping me to learn to perform and giving me a place to live. One day Janet told me that she would be leaving town and that she planned to drop me off at a shelter. Lucky for me Janet’s friend Rebecca, who I met when I was performing at the same festival as her son, knew about my musical accomplishments and said I could stay with her. But with three kids of her own we both knew I needed to find another place to stay. Trish, Janet and Rebecca—my three music moms—got together to make a plan. They came across Covenant House and brought me there, with a bag of clothes…and my cello.

I wanted to get back into school so Covenant House and Rebecca helped me to re-enroll in Montclair State. To help with income, I rented out my violin to other music students and worked at Rebecca’s weekly chamber music open houses. Throughout it all, I knew that my only way out of homelessness was my music. With Covenant House and Rebecca by my side, I knew I had a good chance. While in college, I moved into Covenant House’s new apartment program in Montclair. I love living there and will always remember the pride I felt the first time I showed Rebecca my new apartment. I’ve just begun my junior year at Montclair University where I’m majoring in music performance. I patched things up with my second adoptive father. I held a grudge for a long time, but then I learned about forgiveness. Without Covenant House or Rebecca, I would still have my music, but I wouldn’t have a home. The staff at Covenant House helps me express who I am. They believe in me. No one had ever really believed in me before I found Covenant House. In my apartment program, I share so much with the other residents. We share homelessness, yes, but we also share our successes and accomplishments. Thanks to Covenant House I am learning to believe in myself and have hope.

Our Continuum of Care

WHEN A KID IS OUT ON THE STREET AT 2 AM, ALONE AND SCARED TO DEATH, YOU DON’T TELL THAT KID TO COME BACK LATER. THEIR NEEDS CAN’T WAIT: CLEAN CLOTHES, A DECENT MEAL, A BED TO SLEEP IN… AND SOMEONE WHO CARES. OUR PROGRAMS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO RESCUE KIDS FROM THE STREETS AND TO HELP THEM BUILD NEW LIVES.

Outreach Our staff searches the darkest and toughest street corners, and provides food and counseling (and most importantly, an escape) to homeless kids lost and trapped on the streets. Crisis Care Everything we do to help a homeless child begins with crisis care. With a door that never closes, and a commitment to any child with no place else to turn, we have a promise that says very simply, “We’re here for you.” Rights of Passage Our Rights of Passage long-term residential program is based on the simple belief that all children have the right to pass into adulthood without being abused and homeless.

Casa Alianza Casa Alianza, our sites in Latin America, provide home and hope to homeless and orphaned children while fighting for their basic rights. Service Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds and from all across the country. What they have in common is their love for our kids and the commitment to making the world a better place. Advocacy & Research Covenant House is the most powerful human rights movement on behalf of kids in the Americas. Through our advocacy and research efforts, we strive to be the voice for the children who have been forgotten.

We Care

Our Extraordinary Supporters Covenant House New Jersey would not be able to impact the lives of homeless youth without the contribution of our committed corporate supporters. Many leading companies recognize that partnering is not only good

for their communities, where their employees work and live, but good for their business too. With great pride and gratitude we are happy to share that 189 companies, from all across our state, supported our work and mission!

Our Extraordinary Supporters

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and New York Red Bulls The NY Red Bulls, in partnership with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, again hosted a Sleep Out at Red Bull Arena in October. Employees from both organizations came together and slept out to raise $85,000 to bring the two year total to $170,000! Through the Sleep Out, the organizations were able to engage their employees, encourage team camaraderie, promote social good and drive their corporate mission while impacting the lives of homeless youth. In addition to the Sleep Out, the Red Bulls also provided us with employment opportunities for our youth at Red Bull Arena and graciously hosted a summer barbecue for our staff and youth in September at CHNJ. Samsung We are pleased to announce Samsung as a new corporate partner. Samsung employees came out in full force, as they visited the shelter in Newark and participated in 2 Corporate Service Days. Employees worked with our young people in the Vocational Center, teaching job readiness skills and conducting mock interviews. They even hosted a fabulous

luncheon for our kids. Chief Operating Officer, Tim Baxter, invited our youth to visit their headquarters in Ridgefield Park. Kids were warmly welcomed by employees and learned about the latest technology. It was an amazing experience for all. In November, Tim slept on the streets at our Sleep Out: Executive Edition raising awareness and funds for our mission. Through Samsung’s generosity, we are able to fund new initiatives this year that will allow us to better serve our homeless and trafficked youth. Welcome Aboard... our kids are lucky to have you in their corner!

Our Volunteers

VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT OUR WORK IN SO MANY WAYS. FROM SERVING OUR YOUTH A MEAL AT HOLIDAYS TO WRAPPING PRESENTS, FROM TUTORING TO MENTORING TO JOB PREPAREDNESS, OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE CRITICAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY TRULY EXEMPLIFY SERVICE AND COMMITMENT, AND WE COULD NOT DO THIS WORK WITHOUT THEM. Joe Cassidy, or as we lovingly call him Mr. Joe had known about Raphael’s Life House for years. He is from Cranford and learned of us from his parish St Michael’s who are long time supporters. About a year ago he had an almost new glider which he thought we could use. After he finished assembling the glider he looked around,tool box in hand, and asked “Is there anything else I can do?” Mr. Joe has been coming to RLH every Wednesday for over a year now. He fixes broken strollers, assembles new baby equipment, hangs our window treatments (which he had a friend sew) among many other projects! A proud grandpa of three grandchildren he even occasionally gets to hold a baby which always brings a smile to his face. Staff and our young moms anxiously await his visits. He brings delicious brownies, big hugs and a loving heart. The middle of the week is a bright spot for us thanks to our volunteer Mr. Joe! John Redmond, Senior VP of Willis Towers Watson, has been volunteering since 2011 at our Vocational Center in Newark. From the first moment he came for a visit, John knew, he too, had a found a home. The rest as they say, is history… “My experience volunteering has been one of the highlights of my life,” says John. “I hope I’ve taught the kids as much about getting a job as they’ve taught me about resilience and hope. I’ve met hundreds of Cov kids by this point and, even though our paths have been quite different, they are so welcoming and eager to learn that it’s hard to leave after my 2 hours in the classroom are up. They bring me much joy.” Beyond volunteering in our vocational center, John serves on our Vocational Program Board where he raises funds to support the program. John has participated for the past 3 years in our Sleep Out: Executive Edition and most recently could be found sleeping on the streets at our Insurance Industry: Sleepout Edition in September. John has a tremendous heart for our kids and an unwavering commitment to our mission … such a special member of our Covenant House family.

Our Programs & Our Progress in 2015:

346

young people moved out of Covenant House New Jersey into independent living

131

advanced their education goals

347

received comprehensive treatment for a mental illness

653

homeless kids came to us for a place to live

5,653

homeless or precariously housed youth were helped by our Outreach teams throughout Atlantic, Cape, Camden, Monmouth, Hudson and Essex Counties

So Many Ways to Get Involved…

AT COVENANT HOUSE NEW JERSEY, OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE A VITAL PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR MISSION TO LOVE EVERY YOUTH WHO COMES TO US UNCONDITIONALLY. HERE ARE JUST A FEW WAYS YOU CAN HELP OUR KIDS ALL THROUGHOUT NEW JERSEY:

Vocational Program Volunteers meet individually and in small groups with our young people and explore short and long-term vocational goals. Volunteers help our young people with resumes, interview skills, and with the challenges of finding and keeping a good job. GED Tutoring Volunteers tutor our residents seeking to obtain their GED. Baby Care Basics and the Nurturing Parent Program All of our new and expectant moms attend a series of parenting preparedness classes. “Let’s Chat About It” This program is an avenue for our Social Work interns to develop a helping relationship with our residents while delivering important information. Topics such as SIDs and Safe Sleep are discussed one on one with our youth.

Meeting with Pediatricians and Registered Nurses Volunteer pediatricians and volunteer nurses meet with our new and expectant moms to discuss and teach best parenting practices. Baby Development Expertise Offered by a volunteer pediatric physical therapist, the babies of our moms are evaluated and our moms are helped to provide proper ongoing care for healthy development. Community Dinners Host a community dinner, where we celebrate holidays and just spend time as a family with our kids.

Relationship, Fun and Love 7 youth completed a “Couch to 5K” training and ran their first 5K 12 youth volunteered to clean the local park, play games with the elderly and served the hungry from a mobile food pantry 14 youth attended an LGBTQ Prom 35 youth performed in talent shows 55 youth attended our Spring Prom 80 youth participated in yoga, meditation, or in a running group

110 youth received Thanksgiving food baskets 250 youth danced and celebrated life at summer BBQs 300 extracurricular game, art, film or field trip events were held 500 youth, staff and volunteers shared community meals together 2,400 slices of pizza were shared in our Covenant House family!

Our Program Boards Save Lives Our eleven Program Boards meet quarterly to raise funds and awareness about our area of work that they are committed to most. Ninety-eight members strong, these passionate groups of supporters Sleep Out, hold DIYs, procure auction items and sponsorships for Night of Broadway Stars, volunteer and more. This year they collectively raised $1,095,653 to ensure our homeless youth are safe and off the streets.

– Atlantic City – Asbury Park – Camden – Central Jersey Associate Board – North Jersey Associate Board – Legal – Mother Child-North – Mother Child-South – Nancy’s Place – Rights of Passage – Vocational

Site Locations Newark Crisis Center 330 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102 973.621.8705 Atlantic City Crisis Center 929 Atlantic Avenue Atlantic City, NJ 08401 609.348.4070 Newark Rights of Passage Program 45-47 Seabury Street Newark, NJ 07104

MONTCLAIR JERSEY CITY

NEWARK

N

ELIZABETH

E

W

E

Nancy’s Place 32 South Willow Street Montclair, NJ 07042

R

Supportive Apartment Living (SAL) 2-4 Walnut Place Montclair, NJ 07042 83 South Munn Avenue Newark, NJ 07106

Y

Jersey City Outreach Store Front 797 Westside Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07305

CAMDEN

E

Camden Outreach Store Front 2113 Federal Street Camden, NJ 08105

S

Raphael’s Life House 231 Court Street Elizabeth, NJ 07206 Asbury Park Outreach Store Front 1419 Springwood Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712

ASBURY PARK

J

Atlantic City Rights of Passage Program 227 N. South Carolina Avenue Atlantic City, NJ 08401

ATLANTIC CITY

Financials 2015

WITH MORE OF NEW JERSEY’S HOMELESS AND TRAFFICKED KIDS NEEDING COVENANT HOUSE THAN EVER BEFORE, WE MADE THE DECISION TO SPEND A PORTION OF OUR PRIOR YEAR’S SURPLUS TO ENSURE OUR SERVICES REACH AS MANY AS POSSIBLE. AT THE SAME TIME, WE INVESTED MORE HEAVILY AND STRATEGICALLY IN OUR FUNDRAISING INFRASTRUCTURE TO ENSURE THAT WE’RE GROWING THE RESOURCES THAT WE BRING TO OUR ORGANIZATION.

9%

27% 27%

5%

44%

86% 21%

For the sixth consecutive year, we were awarded a Four-Star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity watchdog organization because of the efficiency with which we deliver our mission.

6% 0%

2%

Revenue (per NJ audits)* Individuals Special Event Gov. (Operations) Institutional Other Institutional/ Gov. - Capital Total

Expenses (per NJ audits)**

4,246,502 2,560,668 2,003,043 566,755 173,961 2,553

Direct Care Development Administration Total

8,646,493 948,557 518,144 $10,113,194

$9,553,482

*Capital spending was less than 1%

**FY 2015 expenses exclude depreciation and amortization expense of $759,331.

Board of Directors Robert J. Williams, President Kanebridge Corporation Eric J. Andersen, CEO Aon Benfield

John Berger, Chairman & CEO Third Point Re Jeffrey Carpenter, MD, Professor & Chairman, Vice President of Perioperative Services Cooper University Health Care Julie M. Connors, Senior Vice President & Chief Risk Officer Interpublic Group

Nancy King, President Willis & Nancy King Foundation Martin Malloy, Managing Director

Citibank

Michael X. McBride, Esq., Managing Partner

Connell Foley LLP

Terrence O’Connor, Partner High Rise Capital Partners

George Rachmiel, President (Retired) Ridge Reinsurance Limited Mitchell Rait, Esq., Partner, Counsel & Chief Operating Officer Budd Larner, P.C.

Peter Salerno, President Peter Salerno Inc. Fr. Robert B. Stagg, Pastor

Church of the Presentation

Thomas J. Sykes, A.I.A., P.P., Partner SOSH Architects

Frank E. Walsh, Jr., President The Sandy Hill Foundation

Covenant House New Jersey 330 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102 covenanthousenj.org