Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
COVENANT HOUSE FLORIDA, INC., RIGHTS OF PASSAGE TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAM - Covenant House Florida (CHF) respectfully requests $200,000 annually (65% of total costs) to establish and operate a new 12-bed, group-home model Rights of Passage Transitional Living Program for a maximum of 36 runaway, homeless and street youth annually, including pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children. Based on the belief that all youth have the "right" to "pass" from childhood to adulthood, "Rights of Passage" (ROP) is designed to assist older adolescents progress from homelessness to productive lifestyles through stable residency, asset building, improved life skills and employment opportunities, and increased self-responsibility for determining their futures. Most youth will be identified from residents at CHF's 104-bed emergency shelter whose treatment plan is Independent Living. ROP will provide stable, safe living accommodations with 24-hour awake supervision for 12 youths in a building separate from the crisis shelter in a wing equipped with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area, living room, and staff office. This new Transitional Living Program will be an important intermediate step between CHF's Crisis Shelter and ROPAL (Rights of Passage Apartment Living), a 16-bed apartment model, currently funded by HUD. ROP will help youths build on their individual strengths and assets in order to facilitate their success in ROPAL (approximately 18 months) or in moving directly to their own apartment and becoming independent adults in permanent housing. ROP will feature individualized plans according to the specific and unique needs of each participant, e.g. academic, mental health, substance abuse, and pregnant/parenting. CHF has a remarkable track record in sheltering over 23,000 individual runaway, homeless and street youths since its opening 16 1/2 years ago and in successfully administering grants (federal, state, and county) for enhanced services beyond basic care.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).