A Force of Resilience and Compassion at CHC Hollywood
This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the incredible women who make Covenant House California a place of hope and transformation – including Maria Cruz, a dedicated member of our housekeeping team at CHC – Los Angeles for nearly 15 years.
Maria’s journey to CHC started 16 years ago when she left Oaxaca, Mexico for the U.S., fleeing domestic violence and seeking a better future for her three children. Just two years later, she found the Cov, and has been a steady presence for our young people ever since.
Over her decade and a half working at CHC, Maria has seen many waves of young people and had countless conversations and moments of connection. Over time, her perspective and her understanding of the youth she serves has deepened.
“A lot of people have thoughts that the youth have failed or are lazy, but it’s not like that, you don’t really know what each person is going through,” Maria said. “Sometimes it’s family – it can be a variety of situations. Not everyone realizes that people need different types of support.”
Maria herself has served as an essential and unique source of support for generations of young people, and that has, in turn, made an impact on her own life.
“Because you’re directly working with youth, you reflect on what a young person might go through – when they’re missing their family, missing their mom. It’s an opportunity that you wouldn’t get to see anywhere else,” Maria said. “From what you see the youth experiencing, you’re able to reflect on your own family and their experience.”
For many years, one of Maria’s sons was battling addiction and homelessness in Mexico. “I was able to have a new understanding of what he went through,” she said. At one point, Maria said that her son, Porfirio Javier Antonio, was at a lower point than many of the young people she works with at the Cov. The understanding and
perspective that Maria gained at CHC helped her better support her son, who has now, thankfully, overcome his struggles with substance use and homelessness. Currently, Porfirio is working for an organization in Mexico, Jesus House Oaxaca, that helps the unhoused. As part of this work, he performs music that uplifts individuals through faith, outreach and community.
For Maria, the impact of her work extends far beyond keeping CHC safe and clean. And as her and her team uplift the dignity, health, and safety of our young people, she knows that this impact has ripple effects on entire communities.
Right: Maria’s son, Porfirio, performing in Oaxaca, Mexico at an event for his organization which, like CHC, supports individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use.
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