CHIL Alums Courtney Motley and Derek Chairs
spent two years gaining the support needed to help her become a phlebotomist, purchase her first car, and rent her own apartment. It is a testament to the power of the community of Covenant House that, after achieving stability and independence, Motley stayed involved with CH Michigan as the resident representative on its Board of Directors until she moved to Chicago, where she now serves on the Associate Board of Covenant House Illinois.
“Life is hard- but things happen for a reason, both bad and good,” says Derek Chairs, a CHIL youth who was turned out of his home at a young age after coming out to his family. “Just when you think it’s time to give up- something positive appears.”
For Chairs, that “something positive” was Covenant House Illinois.
After becoming homeless at age 18, Chairs bounced from state to state to stay with friends, but those arrangements did not last long. Arriving in Chicago, he stayed in various
emergency
shelters and
was placed in
transitional
housing. It
wasn’t until
he arrived at
CHIL,
however, that
he received
the support
he needed.
In October
2017, with
the help of
his case
manager,
Derek was
able to secure
his own
apartment
and began
living independently.
For Chairs, and for all of the youth at Covenant House, the community of people who care continues to grow...
At CHIL’s inaugural Sleep Out last November, more than 60 participants spent a night on the streets in solidarity with homeless youth, raising more than $160,000. CHIL counts Morgan Stanley, Accenture, Grainger, and Cisco among its corporate supporters, as well as Harvey, IL native, actor LaRoyce Hawkins, who stops by to have lunch, mingle with the youth and showcase the latest episode of NBC’s Chicago PD.