Who We Are

Covenant House was created in 1981 by Charleston citizens and groups committed to helping those with the fewest resources.  Their mission was to work for justice by offering direct services for West Virginians in need while creating social change through advocacy and education.  Our founders recognized that by pooling their collective financial and material (food and clothing) resources, they would have greater impact.  Click here for a more complete history and archives. Our hallmark program, the Drop-In Center, operates to this day as the soul of our organization.  This day shelter provides respite for those living on the streets, providing them with free shower and laundry facilities, first aid, health education, medical referrals, food and clothing assistance, and job-readiness referrals.

The Housing-Related Assistance program works to keep families from becoming homeless by offering emergency assistance with rents and utilities and financial aid with home weatherization and repairs.  In addition, food and clothing are provided.  A one-time stop is often all that is needed to get through a rough spot.  In fact, many people who come to Covenant House for a “hand up” are working, low-wage workers who accept our temporary help one time and never need to return.

In partnership with fellow Kanawha Valley Collective member organizations, our Homeless Outreach program targets those who are chronically homeless, often people living with mental health problems and/or addictions and who have no home.  Our case manager seeks them out on city streets, in encampments on the riverbank, on public transportation, or at soup kitchens to ensure that they know about services and, ultimately, to transition them into permanent housing.  Additionally, our SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) initiative helps those experiencing homelessness and disabling mental illness through the social security application process in the hopes of securing a monthly income so that they can get housed and on the road to recovery.

The Residential & Resource Program offers housing-related outreach and supportive services to people with specific medical diagnoses and Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS assists people who are HIV+ with housing-related concerns. 

Covenant House and our subsidiary, Community Housing, operate four residences in Charleston for people with disabilities who would otherwise be living in homelessness. 

As advocates, senior staff work to ensure that those with the least have a voice on policy and have access to critical public health education that can improve their quality of life (such as tobacco cessation and HIV/AIDS prevention).  Through active efforts to educate the general public and decision makers, from the local to the national level, staff builds understanding of how housing, social justice, economic, education, and health policy affects those living at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum.