Providing an array of resources and services to help homeless youth on their journey to self-sufficiency, Covey Academy connects young people with housing, job training and community support. But Covey Academy isn’t your average transitional-living facility—in addition to 19 onsite housing units, the facility offers vocational training in a variety of industries, including heavy-equipment operation, the culinary arts, and administrative and support services.
A program of Covenant House Alaska (CHA), Covey Academy opened in summer 2022. Partner organizations—such as the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Anchorage School District and Nine Star Education and Employment Services— have offices in the building. The goal is to prevent and alleviate homelessness through housing and job training, and foster independence in residents while keeping them connected with services.
Capital for Covey Academy was provided by Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) through CIRI’s allocation of 2021 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds.
Forty-one percent of CHA’s youth clients identify as Alaska Native/American Indian. CHA partners with various Alaska Native organizations, including The CIRI Foundation and Cook Inlet Tribal Council, to ensure its programs are culturally appropriate.
“I recently toured Covey Academy and was impressed not only by the facilities themselves, but by the commitment of the staff and residents,” said CIRI President and CEO Sophie Minich. “At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, the president of Covenant House International described Covey Academy as ‘flight school, where young people learn they can soar.’ This is a place designed to give young people the skills and support to move toward independence and life as a healthy, productive adult. I am pleased CIRI was able to support the project through our allocation of CARES Act funds and grateful to CHA and CIHA for their vision and execution.”
For more information, visit covenanthouseak.org.
