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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Mistou, Youth Ambassador from Covenant House
4:44:08
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3 min
Mistou, a Youth Ambassador from Covenant House, shared her personal story as an immigrant who became homeless and how Covenant House provided crucial support. She advocated for increased funding for runaway and homeless youth providers, emphasizing the importance of these services.
- Requested an increase in bed rates for DYCD contracts to $70,000 per bed
- Asked for a 3% annual compounding increase to support staff salaries
- Highlighted the impact of Covenant House in helping her pursue education and career goals
Mistou
4:44:08
So hi everyone.
4:44:10
My name is Miss Tuat Kangweto.
4:44:12
You can call me Miss Tu for short.
4:44:15
So I'm from Benin, West Africa.
4:44:19
It's a country in West Africa, like I said, and we live next to Nigeria.
4:44:23
Our main first language is French over there.
4:44:29
Governors have helped me throughout my three years with them and have been a youth ambassador with them for two years now.
4:44:38
As an immigrant, when I first got to The US, I didn't have any guidance of resources and living alone in a new country and trying to survive less with less than minimum wage was the hardest thing I could ever think of.
4:44:59
I could not even afford home the rent with my home, and I end up being homeless for a while.
4:45:09
I didn't know about shelters when I first got here until I walked to the police station that was next to the place I was renting.
4:45:18
And with this exploration, they connected me with Covenant House.
4:45:24
Covenant House gave me hope and the chance to dream again.
4:45:31
That might sound small for some people, but for me and many others who seem like background like me, is a once in a lifetime opportunities.
4:45:42
They have helped me toward my goals, which is to become a teacher.
4:45:51
Through the readiness program, I got help within my resume, learning how to dress for interviews, and understanding how interviews works.
4:46:03
Earlier this year, I earned my GED diploma, which is something I'm really proud of.
4:46:09
Now I can dream about going to college one day and working toward my teacher's license.
4:46:15
Shelters like Copeland House give youth more than just a bit.
4:46:20
They give us tools, support, and to reach out to goals such as whether it's going to school, building a career, mental health, or finding stability.
4:46:36
These are basic human needs.
4:46:38
I hope that any other young person who does not have the resources they need can get the help just like I got the help to go to the house, which is why I am here today asking the council to ensure that the current contract extension come with appropriate funding adjustment for Governor House and other runaways and homeless youth providers to reflect what the costs what it costs the organizations to run programmes allow youth like me to have a safe place to sleep tonight.
4:47:25
Especially, I asked for the bed weight of the bed weight on the current DYCD contract to be increased to 70,000 per bed.
4:47:37
I I also asked the city to fund the compounding increase at 3% each year so that the staff who work at these organizations to us supported in the way they deserve.
4:47:55
Thank you for hearing me.