Covenant House Texas — Local services in Houston

Hello to everyone reading this review of Covenant House Texas,

First and foremost, I want to give a huge shoutout to the Covenant House Organization Worldwide for the incredible work they do every day.

Let me introduce myself—my name is Ron Spates, and over 20 years ago, I walked through the doors of Covenant House in Houston, TX, at a pivotal moment in my life. I had just moved from New York City with my mother and stepfather, and as a teenager, I thought I knew it all. Like many teens, I didn’t want to follow the house rules or curfews laid out by my parents. I wasn’t a bad kid, and I didn’t have a criminal record—I just thought I had life figured out.

But life has a way of humbling us. After refusing to follow the rules at home, I found myself out in the cold, realizing that my so-called friends couldn’t provide the help I needed. Alone and unsure of my next steps, I was referred to the Covenant House, or as it was known back then, the House of Rescue. And believe me, they did more than just rescue me—they gave me the tools I needed to rebuild my life.

During my brief but transformative two-week stay, the staff at Covenant House taught me essential life skills that I carry with me to this day. They showed me how to make a bed properly, how to keep my living space clean, and even how to tie my first tie. They provided me with clothes for job interviews and gave me a list of places hiring teens like me. Just three days later, I landed a job at a deli where my customer service skills and attention to detail were quickly recognized and appreciated.

Three weeks after that, I was called to attend Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, TX. I left Covenant House with a renewed sense of purpose and the confidence to pursue my goals. Covenant House didn’t just give me shelter—they gave me the courage to look within, recognize my potential, and take the steps needed to become the person I am today.

Today, I’m proud to say that I’ve channeled that courage and passion into founding my own nonprofit organization, The Big City of Love, Inc. Through this organization, I’m dedicated to giving back to my community and helping other teens navigate the challenges I once faced. Just as Covenant House opened doors for me, I’m committed to opening doors for others—offering hope, support, and the tools to succeed.

My goal and passion now are to go into shelters like Covenant House, correctional facilities, and any place where teens are facing challenges or have found themselves in trouble. I want to mentor and motivate them, helping to change their mindsets and showing them that their past doesn’t define their future. I wish I had someone like me to talk to and encourage me earlier in life—I know I could have reached even greater heights. That’s why I’m so committed to being that person for the next generation.

Covenant House Texas will always hold a special place in my heart. They welcomed me with open arms, provided me with the support I desperately needed, and set me on a path to greatness. To anyone reading this, know that Covenant House is more than just a shelter—it’s a place where potential is realized, and lives are...

I'm reading some of these negative reviews and I CAN SEE WHY ALOT OF YOU ARE HOMELESS! Alot of you are complaining about their rules and structure and seems like you have a problem with following them. One person complaining about what time they have to wake up and the times they have to eat, etc....... IF YOU'RE HOMELESS AND YOU GOT A PLACE GIVING YOU SHELTER AND A BED TO SLEEP IN FOR FREE AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TIMES YOU HAVE TO GET UP AND THE TIMES THEY GIVE YOU 3 FREE MEALS, THEN 'YOU'RE' THE PROBLEM. Alot of you NEED structure but have a problem with following it, that's why you have no place to go and why no one wants to put up with you. The only place you're going to be able to do things the way YOU want to do is if you get a job, be responsible and get your own place. But you can't keep a job because you don't want to listen to anyone. People who are really trying to do something with their lives will go in there and do everything that's asked of them and follow the rules NOT buck and fight against them. Most of the people HOMELESS in the street either have a substance abuse problem and a problem with authority and following rules which is the reason why they have no place to go and can't keep a job. I was a home director for Victory Outreach and we had people like the ones who complain about this place, come into the home and we're so ungrateful and disobedient to everything and everyone in the program and eventually had to be put out because they were so disrespectful and disruptive to those who were following the rules and program. All of you people complaining about this place are just ungrateful disobedient mostly addicts who think that they don't have to listen to anyone or follow anyone's structure, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HOMELESS AND CAN'T KEEP A JOB. UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOU'RE GOING TO ALWAYS BE HOMELESS AND HAVE NOTHING GOING FOR YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN CHOICES! YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO FOLLOW RULES AND BE OBEDIENT THEN MAYBE THINGS WILL START HAPPENING FOR YOU! AND THE ONE GIRL TALKING ABOUT HOW SHE PRACTICES WITCHCRAFT AND COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW THEY KICKED HER OUT FOR THAT, I DON'T BLAME THEM! SOME OF YOU ARE...

So you deleted my review? I will keep reposting it until people know what you do here. You're not going to stop me.

This shelter is horrible. I got sent here by the police because my parents were abusing me and I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I was taken here for shelter. I stayed for a night and when it was time for intake, they tried to leave me on the side of the road and I told them I didn't have a car or anywhere to get to the clinic to get my medicine, because I'm in prescription medication. They told me I can't leave my things there to go get it when I asked and printed our directions and metro bus passes and when I stayed on the side of the road for a while, all of a sudden a lady comes to get me. When constantly called out for this behavior and what they did, they eventually got the police involved to send me to a psych ward where I died in Ben Taub's care. I was resuscitated but then the police took me to another hospital and when I got back, they denied me services again because I didn't have my medicine which was the problem the first time. They do not take homeless youth off the streets like they promised. I might as well have been a homeless youth on the street while the police dealt with my parents but these people hazed me and got me sent to psych wards to get rid of me and said that I was pretending I was a witch and was casting spells on people when I was denied entry to the shelter. They used their own understanding of my religion against me to put me in a psych ward. That is a religious hate crime in and of itself. But enough about that, them having me the way they did is a problematic issue in and of itself because it's very predatory to put homeless youth through that, especially to put them in a psych ward because you don't like you were called out for what you did.

Edit: DO NOT COME HERE. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SLEEP OUTSIDE IF YOU KEEP PULLING BLANKS WHEN THEY PULL NUMBERS FOR THE BEDS. It is SICK you people do this to kids. You prey on them and make them think you will take them in and make them draw numbers and make them gamble for a bed. You are repulsive for this, especially for making Michelle sleep...