Covenant House Texas Internship

Organization Name
Covenant House Texas

Address
111 Lovett Blvd.
Houston, TX

Organization Description
Covenant House Texas is a non-profit, human service agency, which provides emergency shelter, crisis intervention, transitional housing, and community-based services to homeless, runaway, “throwaway”, and at-risk youth under the age of 21. Part of an international network founded in New York, Covenant House Texas opened its doors in Montrose in 1983 as a response to the problem of youth homelessness.

Description of Internship

There are a variety of areas for internships:

1) OLDER YOUTH PROGRAMS: Volunteer opportunities include tutoring and testing youth, teaching workshops on topics such as money management or meal preparation, helping with job hunts, spiritual guidance, and providing assistance to staff supervisors.

2) YOUNGER YOUTH PROGRAMS: Volunteers are needed to assist daytime classroom activities, to help plan or supervise evening youth activities, and to assist with the babies and toddlers of parenting teens.

3) INTAKE AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS: NINELINE is a 24-hour crisis hotline that provides information and support to teens and/or their parents in crisis. A Covenant House Outreach van also travels the streets of Houston at night to pass out food, drinks, and blankets to homeless youth and to give them information about services provided by Covenant House. Volunteers are needed to assist in each of these areas.

4) RIGHTS OF PASSAGE: Volunteers that are at least 25 years of age or older can work as mentors to these young people, providing friendship and acting as supportive role models.

5) PASTORAL MINISTRY: Volunteers may assist pastoral staff in providing positive, spiritual activities for youth.

6) VOC/ED VOLUNTEERS: GED tutors are needed in the evenings, and classroom aides are needed during the day. Other opportunities include helping with job searches, interviewing skills, budgeting, and record keeping.

Criteria for Interns
Covenant House Texas requires all of its volunteers to be 21 years of age or older. Open to all social science majors. All prospective volunteers are screened and selected according to Covenant House needs and volunteer qualifications. A volunteer application needs to be completed. References will be checked and a criminal background check will be done. Also, a tuberculosis test is required and will be available to our interns in our clinic, free of charge. All interns will attend an orientation.

Contact Name
Cynthia Middleton
713-630-5628
cmiddleton@covenanthouse.org

Additional Information
An interview and volunteer application will be required.