#59: Jim White — Executive Director at Covenant House New Jersey on Homelessness and the Future of Work

In the 2018-2019 School Year, New Jersey Homelessness Statistics estimated that about 14,000 K-12 public school students experienced homelessness over the year. Of those homeless, approximately 9.2% were likely victims of human trafficking. Since COVID,  unfortunately these statistics have only increased.

Since 1989 Covenant House New Jersey has served homeless youth across the state and from the very beginning, Jim White has been growing and working alongside the organization.

Jim first started out in CHNJ developing their Rights of Passage, a transitional living program that is now used nationally across all Covenant House Locations. From there he became the Director of Covenant House’s Faith Community and was in charge of recruiting and training full time volunteers in six different locations. Since 1994 he has served as the Executive Director of all operations across CHNJ, helping serve hundreds of thousands of at-risk youth.

Under Jim’s leadership, Covenant House has developed programs to fight youth homelessness, create job training and continued education opportunities, provide healthcare assistance including natal care, mental health services, HIV/AIDScare, substance rehabilitation, and offer young people across New Jersey a stable environment in their tumultuous lives.

Caring about the future of work means caring about the future of our people. If young people aren’t given a chance at a stable life, then our society, and labor force, suffers from it.

This is an episode you’re not going to want to miss so...let’s bring it in!