Building Trust and Community at CHC Santa Clara
For Najma Sadiq, a Residential Manager at Covenant House California Santa Clara, the most rewarding part of her work is earning the trust of the young people she serves- especially the young parents.
One moment stands out…when a young mother let Najma hold her baby for the first time.
“As I was holding him, I was like, “she trusts us. Because this is her child.’”
For Najma, trust is everything. It is one of the most fulfilling parts of this work to be their go-to person and safe space.
“When those trust gates do open, it’s magical,“ she shared. “Just being able to be that go-to person for them – when their parents aren’t there for them or their siblings, or their friends… to be that go-to that’s just like ‘hey, I need to vent, I need to cuss, I need to cry,’ and knowing that I’m here for them in that capacity – is what keeps me going.”
Before joining CHC, Najma was a middle school teacher, driven by her own experience of having only a handful of teachers who truly impacted her life.
“I always said I wanted to be that one person for somebody, which is why I fell into teaching. But I feel like that really correlates with the work that I do now.”
At CHC-Santa Clara, Najma fosters community and joy in every way she can – from hosting arts and crafts sessions to bringing her Harry Potter fandom to the community through projector movie nights in our beautiful courtyard. Having served in several different roles at the Cov, from case manager to community involvement coordinator, Najma has been able to both work closely one-on-one with youth, and also engage community members, like you.
Her biggest hope? That more people take the time to visit CHC-Santa Clara and see the strength and resilience of the young people firsthand.
“I feel like Santa Clara is just so special, and the community that we’ve built over the last – it’s going on four years now – is so unique that I would just implore everyone to come visit if they can,” Najma said. “Come stop by for a tour, meet our young people because whatever idea [you] have of what homelessness looks like, I can guarantee that none of our young people fit that.”
For now, Najma is looking forward to one more milestone – when the newest newborn at the Cov starts talking and she can officially be “Auntie Naj”.
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