Today we’d like to introduce you to LaToya D. McBeth.
LaToya, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a native of Jasper, Alabama, born and raised. I come from a family of social workers, educators, and healthcare providers. My mother is a retired social worker of 40 years, so I was raised to serve. I grew up donating toys and clothes to the less fortunate, visiting the elderly in various nursing homes, taking fruit baskets and cards to the sick and shut-in, etc. I always knew that I wanted to commit my entire life to giving to those that weren’t as fortunate as my family.
I grew up in the CME church and played a huge part, from a very young age, in the Mattie E. Coleman Missionary Society and Miles College Leadership Bible School. I also served as President of Inspiration S.T.A.R.S. (Sisters Taking Action and Reaching for Success) for many years as a teen. Each of these entities instilled confidence, leadership, hope, and long-lasting life skills that contributed to how I pour into people today.
After graduating from Walker High School, I moved to Normal, Alabama, to attend the most illustrious HBCU in the land, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, to pursue a degree in Social Work. While in college, I joined the National Association of Social Workers, the Social Work Club, Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society, and Sigma Tau Epsilon Professional Fraternity, Inc. Rho Chapter. I served as a tutor and mentor to young ladies in the community via Daughters of Lydia, an organization that’s built on the foundation of loving, yielding, and dedicating yourself to God. I decided to continue my education in an effort to concentrate on mental health as mental illness and substance use are near and dear to my heart. Being from a small town, many community issues were swept under the rug, and I wasn’t really exposed to a lot. After receiving my Masters’s degree in Social Work, I decided to move to Atlanta to gain more experience and opportunity. Once I arrived in 2011, all of the issues that I hadn’t been exposed to “slapped me in the face,” i.e., generational poverty, chronic homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse. Etc.
After living in Atlanta for just a few months, I was introduced to Covenant House Georgia, by a friend that was working the overnight shift. I initially started off working PRN “as needed,” and that lasted for a little over two years. During that time, I was able to familiarize myself with the mission and principles, get to know and understand what homelessness really means and looks like, and understand things from both a development and programmatic standpoint. I’ve played many roles at Covenant House Georgia to include Residential Advisor, Case Manager, Rights of Passage Coordinator, Day Services Coordinator, and AmeriCorp Site Supervisor. I’m honored to say that I’ve served at Covenant House Georgia for almost a decade. I have completely fallen in love with the mission, and I’m honored to work with an incredible team of people that give of themselves each and every day to serve our youth with unconditional love and absolute respect.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The work that we do at Covenant House Georgia is not always easy. It can be draining both physically and emotionally. Youth come into our shelter with several layers of trauma that we are committed to “unpacking”. Many people think that all a homeless youth needs is a bed or a job, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our youth have experienced several years of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, trafficking, educational gaps, and un/underemployment on top of chronic homelessness. Most of our youth have been failed by every single system. Our youth have been exploited by their own families, friends, mentors, school counselors, etc. Their ability to love and trust has been diminished. When they come to us, we become their family!
All while understandable, the hardest thing to witness is when a youth has a hard time adjusting to our structure. Many of the youth that we serve have been to our shelter three or more times. It takes a lot of time to build trust and rapport, adjust to structure, and take full advantage of the resources and opportunities that Covenant House Georgia has to offer. Our youth have been exploited for so many years, that it’s difficult for them to process that a group of strangers are committed to loving and supporting them without wanting anything in return. Because of this, some youth, unfortunately, turn back to the streets, and that completely breaks our hearts.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Covenant House Georgia Story. Tell us more about your work.
Covenant House Georgia serves young people that are experiencing homelessness. We provide an array of services for youth ages (16-24) in our Community Service Drop-in Center, and ages (18-24) in our Crisis Shelter, Transitional Living, Rapid Rehousing, and Mom and Babes programs. Every single youth that we serve has access to shelter, food, clothing, education assistance, workforce development, mental, physical, and behavioral health services, life skill building, and stable housing navigation. Every youth is assigned a case manager that assists them with creating measurable goals that will move them towards self-sufficiency via all of the support services that we provide. We are proud to say that we’ve assisted numerous youth with completing their GED, re-enrolling into high school, and/or applying and enrolling into college. We are firm believers that knowledge, in fact, is power! My favorite part about serving at Covenant House is offering first time experiences to our youth. Every month we have a huge birthday celebration where we have a tasty dinner, birthday cake, and gifts for youth that are celebrating a birthday that particular month. Many of the youth that we serve have never celebrated a birthday in their entire life. We also have a Prom every summer that’s super fun. Our youth get dolled up and enjoy an unforgettable night. This event is incredibly special for our youth that have gaps in their educational journey and never got the chance to experience Prom.
I’m most proud of our mission and what we stand for. It’s what sets us apart from all other social service providers. “We who recognize God’s providence and fidelity to His people are dedicated to living out His covenant among ourselves and those children we serve, with absolute respect and unconditional love. That commitment calls us to serve suffering children of the street and to protect and safeguard all children. Just as Christ in His humanity is the visible sign of God’s presence among His people, so our efforts together in the covenant community are a visible sign that effects the presence of God, working through the Holy Spirit among ourselves and our kids.”
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
LaToya – I’d like to give credit to my grandparents and parents for instilling a spirit of service in me. My religious upbringing allows me to show grace to others, as God has shown to me. I’d also credit my amazing husband, Justin McBeth Sr., who is my biggest cheerleader and always encourages and supports me and the work that I do.
Covenant House Georgia – We owe credit to all of our community leaders, partners, and volunteers that are committed to pouring their funds and time into the work that we do. Whether it was writing a check, facilitating a life skill group or Bible Study, volunteering on our Street Outreach team, preparing and serving a meal, or organizing our hygiene and clothing closets… they are appreciated!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1559 Johnson Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
- Website: www.covenanthousega.org
- Phone: 404-713-0954
- Instagram: @covenanthousega
- Facebook: Covenant House Georgia
- Twitter: @CovenantHouseGA
Image Credit:
Pear Tree Photography
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