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Jamillah Williams is a force to be reckoned with. She is a warm, capable person — a mom, a wellness clinician, a social worker for an arts and trauma center that serves at-risk youth, and a student on her way to getting a doctorate in social work.
But at 18, her life was headed in a very different direction. “I was sleeping in Penn Station,” she says. “I got placed in multiple foster homes, but I didn’t like the way I was being treated, so I used to run away and hope for the worst to happen to me.” At the time, she was also pregnant.
One day, Jamillah got a phone call from a former social worker, urging her to check out Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) in Newark, a Comic Relief grantee partner that supports young people facing homelessness. Since it was only a short walk away, she went to take a look — a snap decision that led her to where she is now. “Without Covenant House, I don’t think I would be the mom or person I am today,” she says.
After a short stay at CHNJ, Jamillah moved to Covenant House’s residence for expectant and new mothers, Raphael’s Life House (RLH), in Elizabeth. Young women and their babies facing homelessness can live there for up to 18 months. They have private rooms, communal spaces, and parenting and life skills classes. Moms and their babies also receive health care, while specialists work with them to find stable housing and support progress towards their goals, like employment, education, and financial stability.
At RLH, the cribs, classes, and a safe place to sleep are vital, especially for young mothers starting out with so little. But just as important is something less visible: the trust and care that work to rebuild a young person’s sense of safety, stability, and self-worth. “I didn’t trust adults [when I arrived there]. I thought these people are just working here because they need a job, they have bills to pay, but they don’t care,” explains Jamillah.
Then she met Janette Dubenezic, now a Senior Development Director at CHNJ, during her intake process at the CHNJ Youth Engagement Center in Newark, before her move to RLH. Janette has been a steady presence in her life ever since.
“I felt such a connection with Janette from the start,” says Jamillah. “Whenever I needed help, whenever I felt like I was going crazy, Janette was always there. She has made it possible for me to do everything that I never thought I could do.”
Another key person in Jamillah’s journey to trust was Mauryn Austin, or “Miss Mauryn” as the young moms at the house call her. She is the resident advisor at RLH, who stepped up when a jittery Jamillah returned from the hospital with her newborn son. “I had taken care of babies before, but not my own baby. Miss Mauryn made me feel like it was okay to be a mother and have challenges; as long as you had support, you shouldn't have to worry.”
With the support of Janette, Miss Mauryn, the other staff members, and her fellow moms— of them, she says, “Of course we fought, but whenever we needed somebody, we all chipped in to help” — Jamillah found herself changing. She went from “a dark person that always had dark energy” to a person filled with a flame that burned bright. Discovering her own ambition and determination, she set her sights on leaving RLH within a year — and she did. In just six months, Jamilah and her son moved out and into their own apartment.
Jamillah now works with young people dealing with some of the same situations she did. When asked how to best support youth experiencing homelessness, she says, “They need time. They need love. They need reassurance that you are actually going to be there.”
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And the need is only growing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than one million additional children fell into poverty last year1. At the same time, youth homelessness continues to affect an estimated 4.2 million young people in America2 annually, while the official safety nets meant to protect the most vulnerable are being stretched thinner than ever.
“Invest your time in a young person who may need it, not because of something they did, it was just the hand that they were dealt,” says Kenny Greer, associate director of housing for CHNJ. “We are here to help change that so when people leave here, it stops with them and starts a whole new generation, a whole new chapter of young people who are thriving.”
This is the kind of change that Comic Relief US is committed to advancing — working toward a world where every young person has the support they need to embark on a better future for themselves and their families. As Kenny explains, “Comic Relief has done an excellent job of helping break the cycle of homelessness and exploitation of young people.”
For nine years and counting, we’ve partnered with Covenant House to help make that future possible, supporting their work across the U.S. and Latin America. And together, we can do even more to help vulnerable young people find safety, support, and hope.
Support young moms and their babies. Donate today.
1. 2023 US Census, Figure 4 and Table B-3.
2. March 2023 report from the National Conference of State Legislators
