As Covenant House PA’s program director, Natalie Proud has seen firsthand what it means — and what it takes — to help a young person go from homelessness to success.
She’s helped youth who were living under the EL find jobs and save money for an apartment. She often attends house warming parties, weddings and baby showers for former residents of Covenant House. People who’ve left the program will come back for Thanksgiving celebrations with the young people who are currently in transitional housing, often bringing their families with them. The six-year-old of a graduate from the transitional housing program will play games like musical chairs alongside current residents. People will offer mentorship and support for one another.
Proud recognizes that she’s meeting all these young people at a critical juncture in their lives. Nationally, there are about 3.5 million young adults between 18 and 25 who are experiencing homelessness, including — according to Philly’s 2024 point-in-time count — 235 young people here. Covenant House connects them to housing programs — both emergency and transition — and helps them develop the skills they need to support themselves and find a suitable home.
“When we can intervene early, at such a young age with specific youth services and an understanding of adolescent brain development and the impact of trauma, it can really change someone’s life,” Proud says. Cuts to SNAP and other social services have made this work even more difficult as many program participants rely on those supports.
Every year, Covenant House hosts an annual event, Sleep Out, that both raises money for the organization and awareness of what it means to spend the night outside in the November cold. The mission is serious. But this year, Sleep Out has a new fun twist: Thanks to the efforts of Phillies’ owner John Middleton and Hollywood producer Mike Tollin, participants will set up their tents on the ball field at Citizens Bank Park.
Bringing Sleep Out to the Bank
Tollin (of The Last Dance fame) approached Covenant House with the idea for a Sleep Out event at a stadium in 2016 because he thought the organization could increase its impact by getting sport teams involved. Tollin had worked with Covenant House in the past through PACE — Philanthropy And Community Engagement (PACE) — an organization he founded that gives grants to nonprofits working with underserved children and families.
Along with Bill Bedrossian, CEO of Covenant House, Tollin tweaked the idea over a number of years, even approaching the Dodgers at one point since they both lived in L.A.. But both Tolin and Bedrossian are Philly boys at heart — and, of course, huge Philly sports fans. They both grew up in Havertown. Bedrossian named his kids after former Philadelphia 76ers Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Former Phillies Pitcher and World Series champ Jamie Moyer was an early PACE board member. Why not approach one of the Philly teams?
“You can take the boy out of Philly, but you can’t take the Philly out of the boy,” Tollin says.
“I can’t wait to see the lights go out and have all of us try to sleep under the stars. Can we see the stars at Broad and Pattison? I guess we’ll find out.” — Mike Tollin
Early on in his filmmaking career, Tollin made highlight reels for the Phillies, from the 80s up until the ‘93 pennant season when the Phils lost to the Blue Jays. (He was at Toronto’s SkyDome when Joe Carter hit the walk-off homer). So, during spring training this year, he approached Phillies owner John Middleton with the idea for a Sleep Out at Citizen Bank Park. Middleton and his wife, Leigh, have long been active with Project HOME, making major donations and working with super stars like Jon Bon Jovi to end homelessness in Philly (which we’re close to doing, by the way). They signed on, and in September, when the Phillies played the Mariners, Bedrossian threw out the first pitch.
“I’m always most proud of young people who end up being independent with doing the things that they love to do, being able to support their families,” Bedrossian says. “They’ve ended this generational cycle of poverty and homelessness.”
What to expect
The Sleep Out at Citizens Bank Park will be held Thursday November 20 through Friday November 21. The date is intentional: Covenant House hosts all of its Sleep Outs the week before Thanksgiving. That way, people are thinking about “the privilege that we have and the responsibility that we have to take care of young people who don’t have families,” Bedrossian says.
“We do that really as a reminder that about a week later most of us are going to be spending the day and the weekend with our families and people who care about us and enjoying all the foods and the laughter and many young people are not going to be able to have that experience,” he says.
The Covenant House team emphasizes that the events aren’t about replicating or pretending to live on the streets, but about hearing from people who have experienced homelessness, so that they can understand the challenges young people face. Each Sleep Outs features stories from people who have experienced youth homelessness and who have been helped by Covenant House’s programs. One year, for example, a young woman shared a story about how she used to prepare for interviews in a train station bathroom before landing the job that helped her get out of homelessness. Another young man once watched Bedrossian prep for a Sleep Out by taking off his Jordans, picked up the shoes and said “don’t ever take your shoes off when you’re sleeping on the street. Someone’s going to steal them,” Bedrossian recalls.
“He just kept going through this series of things I would have never thought of, on how you survive on the street,” Bedrossian says — including how to avoid animals like rats. “That was one of the most powerful things I ever heard. This is so much more than just trying to stay warm. This is trying to protect yourself. This is trying to stay alive.”
The Covenant House team emphasizes that the events aren’t about replicating or pretending to live on the streets, but about hearing from people who have experienced homelessness, so that they can understand the challenges young people face.
Covenant House asks that attendees raise at least $1,000 to attend the event at the Bank, though many of the people raising money have exceeded that amount. They plan to have 500 people sleeping on the field. So far, they’ve raised more than $700,000. Over 14 years of Sleep Outs, across more than 25 U.S. cities, they’ve raised about $10 million annually.
The donations from Sleep Out at the Ballpark will support Covenant House PA’s operations and services. They run three different housing services: emergency housing, rapid rehousing and transitional housing. Emergency services and crisis care cover things like walk-ins to their shelter and short term housing, whereas the rapid and transitional programs offer more long-term housing and support. One in five people who come to them has been a victim of human trafficking, which Covenant House is working to end.
The transitional housing program lasts for 18 months and teaches young people about budgeting and saving, as well as helps them connect with landlords who are willing to rent to people without a rental history. Covenant House PA will help them prepare for jobs, offer mental health support and food assistance. They also work with CHOP to provide medical care. Eighty-five percent of the people in their transitional housing program go on to stable housing. The rapid rehousing program helps quickly connect people with landlords and get them into new housing. Ninety-three percent of the people in that program move on to stable housing.
“Our goal is to end youth homelessness as we know it,” says Alexia Clark, CEO of Covenant House PA.
After years of working to make a stadium Sleep Out a reality, Tollin is excited to see everyone out on the field. He hopes people have fun seeing the players and the Phanatic, maybe sneak in a game of catch on the field. Most importantly: he hopes they’re moved by the stories the speakers tell about their experiences with Covenant House.
“When you work this long and this hard on something with so many moving parts, and it actually comes together. It’s kind of amazing. … I can’t wait to see the lights go out and have all of us try to sleep under the stars. Can we see the stars at Broad and Pattison?” Tollin says. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Sleep Out at the Ballpark is November 20-21 at Citizens Bank Park. You can register here.
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