The fifth annual Delta Sleep Out took place November 14 at the G.O. and LGA. More than 200 Delta volunteers and their family members slept out overnight to raise awareness and funds for Covenant House and homeless youth during Youth Homelessness Awareness Month. To date, Sleep Outs have been held in ATL, BOS, DTW, and LAX.

During the Sleep Out, Delta people heard stories from Covenant House alumni as well as Dr. Alie “Dr. A” Redd, Executive Director of Covenant House Georgia. Dr. A discussed Covenant House’s new strategic plan, The Journey Home, which will meet homeless youth with direct care wherever they are, but will also be adding critical prevention and aftercare programs that will make a big difference in the number of youth impacted.   

Throughout the United States, homelessness continues to grow. More than 4 million young people between the ages of 13-25 experience a form of homelessness each year—with LGBTQ+ youth, people of color, and pregnant or parenting youth disproportionately impacted. More than half of this population are child abuse survivors, have aged out of the foster care system, are in danger, or are already victims of trafficking and exploitation.  

Our corporate support of Covenant House doesn't just provide safety and shelter, it provides education, workforce development, art therapy, music therapy, and mental and physical health care for anyone who walks through their doors.  

Workforce development initiatives like the Delta Career Readiness Program (DCRP) is proving to be a life-changing benefit of Delta and Covenant House’s 12-year collaboration. Starting with a few dedicated Delta people in Atlanta, the program is now available to youth in New York City. In the Delta Career Readiness Program, Covenant House residents are exposed to various career paths available at an airline. Those that show interest and are selected to participate will experience 6 weeks of job training and 2:1 mentorship from Delta employees that are leaders in that space. 

At the end of the 6-week process, participants have the opportunity to apply and interview for a position at Delta and/or our business partners. There is no guarantee that Covenant House youth will be hired after completing the DCRP, which makes the news of a job offer an exciting accomplishment. 

This year, as we approached Youth Homelessness Awareness Month throughout November, we had the pleasure of meeting a DCRP success story in Cheyenne Bunch. Cheyenne is a former Covenant House New York resident who was encouraged to participate in the Delta Career Readiness Program by Sr. HR Manager Greta Boggan and was mentored by IFS Health and Safety Specialist Keisha “Kiki” Christie and Flight Attendant Gregory Howard in 2023. Cheyenne graduated training and became a Delta Air Lines Flight attendant in June 2023. 

“This is life-changing work, but this is also life affirming work,” said Greta Boggan. “The world opens up [for youth] because they become a part of Delta. They can see the world and have opportunities beyond their current circumstance—to know that we’ve helped to make that happen is unbelievable.”

Providing structure and opportunities for young people to care for themselves and thrive in independence is a pillar and priority at Covenant House. Dr. Alie Redd describes the opportunities that Delta provides for youth as “an opportunity to affect generational change”.

At the time of publishing this article, Delta teams have raised more than $316,000 for Covenant House! Fundraising will continue through the end of the year. If you’d like to make a contribution to change a life, please visit sleepout.org/delta.