[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14479-S14480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

    17TH ANNUAL COVENANT HOUSE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR HOMELESS YOUTH

 Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, on November 15, 2007, Covenant 
House will mark their 17th annual Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth. 
This Vigil will bring together individuals from

[[Page S14480]]

more than 500 sites throughout North America to keep the light of hope 
burning for homeless youth. Covenant House provides quality, effective 
care for homeless and runaway youth and we are proud that our State of 
New York is home to Covenant House's headquarters.
  Emergency health care, shelter, and treatment of the homeless in New 
York City cost an average of $40,000 per person each year, placing a 
staggering and unsustainable social and economic burden on State and 
local governments. Covenant House, the Nation's largest privately 
funded agency for homeless youth and young adults, is helping to 
relieve some of this burden by providing resident and non-resident 
services to nearly 66,000 youths in 2006 alone.
  Covenant House has provided more than 1 million young people with the 
support necessary to transition from life on the streets to a life with 
a future. Covenant House uses successful programs and services--
including counseling, transitional living programs, educational and 
vocational training, health services, and drug abuse treatment and 
prevention programs--that help transform the lives of these individuals 
at an early stage.
  Still, more work needs to be done. As we speak, nearly 1.3 million 
children and young adults are homeless and living on the streets 
throughout our Nation, with roughly 5,000 of these youth dying from 
assault, illness, or suicide. The Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth 
will honor the memory of these young people who have died alone and 
anonymously while living on our streets and raise awareness about 
growing crisis of youth homelessness. As Sister Tricia, executive 
director of Covenant House, has said, ``The Vigil is for every kid who 
runs away, convinced they'll be safer on the street than at home, where 
they hope to escape abusive or dangerous environments. That's why we 
stand together with candles, to light their way to Covenant House, 
where they will be safe, treated with dignity and loved without 
condition.''
  Many of the youth living and dying on our Nation's streets are former 
foster care children who have aged out of the system. Though they are 
too old for the foster care system, they are often too young and ill 
prepared for self-sufficient living without the assistance of a family 
or support system. Unemployment and a lack of education among these 
young people can lead to a life of poverty, crime, and drug abuse. The 
challenges facing young men and women today are overwhelming. For youth 
who are faced with a life on the streets, the need for a guiding light 
is often a matter of life and death.
  The Covenant House has used successful programs to help transform the 
lives of these individuals at an early stage. Senator Schumer and I are 
pleased to stand with Covenant House as together we work to keep the 
light of hope burning bright for all of our young people.

                          ____________________