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The city of Covington is a small city located in southwest Virginia. Covington city
stretches over approximately six square miles and is located in the heart of the Alleghany
Highlands. The population as of 2021 according to City-data.com is 5,717 and has decreased
9.3% since the year 2000. Of this population, 47.7% are males and 52.3% are females. Race in
the city of Covington is broken down in the following percentages: white 81.6%, Black or
African American 13.5%, American Indian, and Alaska Native 0%, Asian 1.1%, Native
Hawaiian 0%, two or more races 3.8%, and Hispanic or Latino 2.4%. The median resident age in
the city of Covington is 42.5 years, compared to the Virginia average of 38.8 years.
The median household income in the city of Covington is approximately $41,420,
compared to the Virginia median of $80,963. Housing in the city of Covington has a median
value of $78,091 is considerably lower than the average, in comparison the Virginia home value
median is $330,600. There is 15.8% of the population in the city of Covington that is considered
to be living in poverty. For education, the percentage of high school graduates or higher is 88.6%
and bachelor’s degree or higher is 11.4%. At the beginning of the 2023 school year, the City of
Covington School System and the Alleghany County School System combined, forming one
school district now known as Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. The new school district
consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The crime rate in
the city Covington falls much lower than the Virginia average. According to city-data.com, in
2020 Covington had a violent crime index of 164, with the Virginia average at 254.8.
Boys Home of Virginia
The Boys Home of Virginia is a non-profit organization located on Boys Home Rd. in
Covington, Virginia. The Boys home houses young men ages 6 to 17 and is supported by donors,
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fundraising, grants, and various other contributions. There is a charge to attend The Boys Home,
however, this is calculated on a sliding scale according to the family’s income and ability to pay
for services. It is important to note that no child is denied services because of an inability to pay.
The Boys Home has counselors, teachers, mentors, and administrators that live on campus.
Children can be referred to or sent to the Boy’s Home by their parents, guardians, and/or social
workers because of different situations they may be facing. Some boys are sent to The Boys
Home for reasons such as, an unsafe home life/environment, truancy issues, falling behind in
academics, a family is unable to provide care for the child, and/or behavioral problems at home
and/or school.
There are different phases a child goes through when they enter The Boys Home. Phase I
is the welcome and evaluation that lasts 30 to 60 days. During this time, the student is placed
with other new arrivals and provides time for a full mental, academic, and personal evaluation to
learn the child’s needs as he gets comfortable and builds relationships with peers and staff.
Phase II follows the evaluation process and is where the child moves to a “family style” living
situation with other boys his age in a cottage under the care of house parents. During this phase,
the child is able to grow and learn life skills they will need to be successful later in life. Phase III
is known as experiential living and is designed to prepare the child to use the skills and
knowledge he learned during phase II to begin transitioning into the outside world. During this
phase, the child can take part in off campus and community activities such as recreation, sports,
volunteering, and church programs.
Compass For Life
Compass for Life is a fairly new organization located in the city of Covington, Virginia.
This organization offers transitional housing for males who are over the age of 18 years old.
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These men may be facing challenges such as homelessness, re-entering society after being
incarcerated, and/or dealing with substance abuse. Compass for Life was created to give men in
in difficult circumstances the skills and resources needed to get back on the right track. This can
allow the individual to avoid further arrest, legal troubles, and/or homelessness. Compass for
Life was formed for men that may have made mistakes in their past or fallen on tough times and
have nowhere or no one to turn to.
Recently I have had the pleasure of speaking with the founder of Compass for
Life. During our talk she told me that she had most recently helped a veteran that had fallen into
tough times. This organization accepts donations in different forms, this can be anything from
time, resources, clothing, household items, toiletries, and/or monetary. The city of Covington is a
small, loving, and close community and has been wonderful in assisting with Compass for Life
in many ways. In the near future, the founder hopes to open a second Compass for Life house
for women in need.
Project Link
Project Link is a new service that is offered through the local Alleghany Highlands
Community Services located in Covington, Virginia. Project Link is a program that was created
to assist pregnant and parenting women. This service provides case management and home visits
to pregnant women and mothers who are considered “at risk” or are abusing substances. The
goal of this program is to promote and support the pregnant woman or mothers’ recovery with
resources that service their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Project Link offers services for the mother such as, mental health/substance use case
management, intensive outpatient programs, group counseling, assistance for inpatient substance
abuse, transportation assistance, peer recovery services, educational/vocational assistance,
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childcare assistance, and parenting classes. There are also many services available for the infant
and/or child such as, free developmental screenings for newborns to age 3, support coordination
and developmental services, speech, occupational, and physical therapy.
Conclusion
The city of Covington is small in size which can at times limit necessary resources for the
community. However, with that being said, the community does a wonderful job of coming
together to found and create programs to services diverse needs for all genders, ages, races,
backgrounds, cultures, and religions. Growing up in the large city of Richmond, Virginia there
were numerous resources available, however, at times I felt that they were so busy and
overcrowded the individual in need was nothing more than a number. Here in the city of
Covington, the number of programs is certainly limited, however, I feel that the community as a
whole comes together when an individual is in need. Whether you live in a small city or a large
one with more resources there are certainly pros and cons to both. Overall, I feel that the city of
Covington does a wonderful job creating programs for individuals in need. I have also witnessed
local programs and agencies working together to locate and provide resources outside of our area
for someone in need. As a special education teacher at a private day school, I have had the honor
of working alongside and collaborating with many great resources available in the city of
Covington.
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References
United States Census Bureau. (2024). www.census.gov
The City of Covington. (2024). www.covington.va.us
City-Data.com. (2024). www.city-data.com
Boys Home of Virginia. (2024). www.boyshomeofva.org
Compass for Life. (2024). www.visitcompassforlife.com
Alleghany Highlands Community Services. (2024). Project Link. www.ahcsb.org
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