Formerly Homeless, He Has a Life Plan

After being a ward of the court for seven years, Tommy Davis found himself thrust into adulthood -- and homelessness -- on his 18th birthday.

When he was 11, the state of Minnesota deemed that his hearing-impaired parents were unable to support him, and he was placed in foster care.

When Davis became an adult, his care network disappeared, leaving him without financial or emotional support to continue his education. “I was feeling abandoned and alone,” he said. “I was your basic homeless guy.”

Today, at 22, he is confident of a bright future. Working as a receptionist for a West Hollywood real estate office, Davis recently obtained his real estate license and looks forward to a long career. “I’m going to make it,” he said.

Davis credits Covenant House in Hollywood with giving him the chance to get on his feet. “Their help was absolutely crucial, because if they hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be where I am,” he said.

Covenant House recently received a $15,000 grant from the 2004 Los Angeles Times Holiday Campaign, which raises money for nonprofits that serve disadvantaged children and youths in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Foster care children, runaways and destitute teenagers who wind up at Covenant House get a place to sleep, meals, medical services and job training, said George Lozano, executive director. “We bring them into our crisis shelter and give them an opportunity to achieve their goals,” he said.

Every night, a Covenant House van drives the streets of Los Angeles to pick up youths, some as young as 12, who are living in abandoned buildings or under bridges. Minors are turned over to foster care officials, and young adults are offered help in stabilizing their lives.

Davis went to the nonprofit shelter at the urging of a social worker after hitchhiking to California and finding himself penniless. He stayed in Covenant House’s transitional living program for 2 1/2 years, studying real estate at a community college. The shelter staff gave him job counseling, helped get his college fees waived and even obtained bus passes for him.

Although Davis said he “managed to avoid the drug scene” that sometimes afflicts young homeless people, Covenant House clients typically are ravaged by drug habits and other serious social problems. “Most of these youth come from homes where they experienced abuse, whether it be physical, sexual or emotional,” Lozano said.

Operating for 16 years on North Western Avenue, Covenant House has 50 beds for teenagers in crisis who get a few hours, days or weeks of help. Some of them enter the transitional living program for young adults.

“They’re very vulnerable,” Lozano said. “They’ve never bonded with adults, so they’re not trusting at all. We’ll give them the opportunity to turn their lives around.”

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HOW TO GIVE

The annual Holiday Campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

Donations supporting the campaign to help disadvantaged children and youths should be sent to L.A. Times Holiday Campaign, File 56986, Los Angeles, CA 90074-6986. Do not send cash.

Credit card donations can be made at latimes.com/holidaycampaign. Information: (800) LATIMES, Ext. 75771.