GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A homeless shelter in Grand Rapids that serves young people is working to offer the stability they need to change their circumstances and move on with their lives.

“They’re looking for something where they can just breathe and just feel comfortable and safe,” said Kelvin Jackson, a shift supervisor at Covenant House.

Covenant House is holding a candlelight vigil at 7pm on Thursday, with a program of singing, storytelling and sleeping out to raise awareness of the problem of youth homelessness.

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The shelter on Antoine Street SW near S. Division Avenue serves people ages 18 to 24 and helps dozens each year. They’re people like 23-year-old Demetrius, who News 8 met earlier this week as he shot some hoops while the weather held. It’s his pastime when he’s not working as a chef. He lives at Covenant House now, but he spent five years homeless after he said he fell in with a bad crowd and made some bad decisions.

“Like in stairwells in parking lots, like parking garages, and I got locked up for that too for that: trespassing,” he recalled. “It was tough for me. There were days I didn’t eat anything.”

He has worked hard to get past that period in his life.

“When people see me, I want them to (think), ‘that’s a godly person,'” he said.

Keasia, also 23, has been at Covenant House for just one week. She is studying to become a nurse, hoping to graduate in 2026.

“My sister has sickle cell and so growing up I’ve been in and out of the hospital with her, and I see this all the time and just being around it, I really grew to love it,” she said.

She said she tries to look ahead, but is often reminded of what led her to where she is now.

“I’m a little disappointed in myself because I feel like I could have done better. I could be in a better situation, in a better place right now,” she says.

Jackson, the Covenant House shift worker, said many of the youth’s stories have similarities.

“A common thread is brokenness,” he said. “A lot of young people are broken … and it stems from some traumatic (circumstance) or the hand they were dealt.”

Such was the case for Demetrius and Keasia.

“I was homeless at 18 and had no family support,” Demetrius said.

“My dad, he’s not in the picture,” Keasia said. “He suffers from drug addiction.”

Soft-spoken, she has a hard time sharing details. But the important thing is the choice she made.

“I got on a bus and I just got here,” she said.

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Jackson said sometimes young people just need a push in the right direction.

“I can’t go on,” he described their mindset. “They’re stuck, like stuck in mud. They’re not really developed yet — mentally, spiritually, emotionally.”

Keasia is trying to find a job as a registered nurse and wants to save money to buy a car. She is reminded of what she needs to do to achieve these goals when she looks at the words painted on the windows of Covenant House:

“Responsible, action, acceptance, appreciation, ambitious,” she read.

Demetrius said he is not coming back. His focus is moving forward, “really just focused on trying to love myself right now.”

“I definitely have to do what I need to do and (the people at Covenant House) will help with that, but you have to make sure you apply yourself as well,” he said.

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After three months at Covenant House, he will be leaving soon. He hopes to find an apartment of his own. He said he has learned a lot and is ready to pass it on to others.

“Don’t give up. Just stay focused. God has a bigger plan for you,” he said. “It’s going to be all right.”

Covenant House is hosting a Thanksgiving meal, with a match for all donations made online at CovenantHouse.org no later than 30 Nov.

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