Youth Spotlight: Courtney

The youth we serve come from all walks of life and their backgrounds highlight the fragile nature of youth homelessness and how quickly someone can find themselves in need of a safe place. Courtney, our January spotlight, is one of those youths who found themselves unexpectedly needing a safe haven after an argument went awry at home.

Courtney came to Texas to care for her aging mother and to continue her college career when she found herself having to look for a safe place to stay. Courtney’s homelife had always been contentious as she spent most of her childhood and adolescence navigating the mental health struggles of her mother. The first time Courtney found herself on the receiving end of her mother’s instability and out on the street, she was only twelve years old. This painful moment would become a tragic pattern for her and her mother as Courtney worked her way through high school and college. Whenever Courtney was home, she would take refuge in her love of videogames and technology to help weather the uncertainty she experienced daily.

After her high school graduation, Courtney briefly moved away for college while doing her best to look after her mother as she pursued her goal of becoming a nurse anesthesiologist. Courtney’s dream school of Casanovia, an art school in upstate New York, unexpectedly closed, which along with her mother’s failing health, forced her to move to Houston. Following another unfortunate episode with her mother, Courtney found herself without a home and having to rely on her survival instincts again on unfamiliar streets just in time for the first January freeze.

Courtney found her way to Covenant House Texas via TikTok with only what she could carry that night, a week’s worth of clothes and her prized personal computer. “I thought if I left it there, my mom’s going to crash or break it and it cost me everything to build it,” Courtney noted. Upon realizing there was a place for her at Covenant House, Courtney made her way to the campus where she recalls that Ms. Ida gave her a warm welcome and helped set her mind at ease. Since her arrival, Courtney has been working hard to be placed into JobCorps which would help her secure permanent housing and continue her college education. “I would tell anyone to come to Covenant House Texas, but that they need to focus on fortifying themselves while they’re here so when they leave, they can have a better life,” Courtney said.

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