Covenant House California’s Homeless Youth Give Back On Skid Row

LOS ANGELES - Feb. 10, 2015 - PRLog -- (LOS ANGELES, CA)  –  Covenant House California (http://www.covenanthousecalifornia.org) (CHC) , the largest agency assisting homeless youth in the state, believes in teaching its youth to “give back.”   To help teach this life lesson, the homeless youth of CHC gave back to the community on January 31^st by assisting the homeless on “Skid Row” in Los Angeles, California.

Eighteen CHC youth and staff members visited Skid Row to hand out sandwiches and bottled water to homeless individuals as part of the new CHC venture entitled the Matthew 25 Project.   Named after the Biblical chapter, the initiative teaches the CHC youth the rewards of helping others and simultaneously learning from others’ homeless experiences.

“I don’t have much, but I can still give,” said one CHC youth, “No matter where we’re at in life, we can always be a blessing to others. When we bless others, we are blessed in return.”

The youth and staff also spent time at the Union Rescue Mission (http://urm.org) to hear from some of the residents in their recovery program and from URM Chaplain Johnathan Russell.  “This is a perfect picture of kinship” said Russell, “Individuals helping one another because they see themselves as one.  When we lift up one member of our community, we lift up the whole. “

The Matthew 25 Project has plans to return again to Skid Row to assist the homeless in the coming months.

“Our youth are empowered and blessed to offer help to those in need. Their compassion is a direct reflection of the love that has been poured into them thanks to generous supporters who make CHC’s mission come alive each day,” said Noel Russell, CHC’s Community Outreach Coordinator.

Union Rescue Mission (URM) is dedicated to serving men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. They provide comprehensive emergency and long-term services to their guests to help them escape the dangerous streets of Skid Row.

Covenant House California is a non-profit agency that saves the lives of at-risk and homeless youth. Every day, 365 days a year CHC reaches out to youth living on the streets and offers them hope and opportunities to turn their lives around. Since 1988, CHC has impacted the lives of more than 170,000 homeless youth. For more information on Covenant House California or to make a donation go to: www.covenanthousecalifornia.org  or call (323) 461-3131.