Defeat the Streets’ Executive Committee leader, Monica Sundri, recently sat down with our nominated Superhero, Victor Peralta, who spearheads Program and Outreach Development at Covenant House, an organization devoted to providing resources to homeless youth in New York City. Monica chatted with Victor to learn more about his hobbies, interests, and background – and soon found out some remarkable (and very cool!) details about him.
Shortly after the conversation began, we learned that Victor took his Superhero status to new heights (quite literally!) when he expressed his passion for skydiving. And what better way to fully emulate Superhero status than learning how to fly?
“I go skydiving in my free time,” he mentions casually. “That’s my outlet. I love it!”
Victor’s devotion to perfecting the art of skydiving is a direct parallel to the commitment he has for helping homeless youth here in New York City. His fearlessness and resilience has made a remarkable impact on Covenant House, as he helps transform the lives of hundreds of homeless and trafficked youth. One of the many aspects of Victor’s role stems from the fact that homeless youth will not always come to an organization for help. Through a process called community mapping, Victor leads a team at Covenant House that travels throughout the city and actively approaches homeless youth, letting them know that they have a warm place to stay.
“We have outreach workers here at Covenant House who assist in community mapping,” Victor explains. “We are a small team, which means we have to be strategic when we go out into the city to find young people. I will typically go out with the group and guide them on which areas we should target and where to find people who need our help.”
Victor is also heavily involved in coordinating outreach programs for the young people they bring to Covenant House. “When people in need come to Covenant House, my team and I follow-up to ensure they are happy and doing well under our care,” he says. “Even after they leave Covenant House, we continue to check in on them to make sure they receive the resources and support they need.”
Under Victor’s guidance and direction, he has helped spearhead many networking events and initiatives for prospective supporters and donors to learn about the incredible work that is happening at Covenant House. “I am a people-person through and through,” he says. “I try to make friends everywhere I go and always find the good in everyone I meet.” This is immediately apparent when meeting Victor – his upbeat, positive energy makes people instantly feel at home. This has proved to be especially beneficial in his role, where he interacts with young people who have faced extremely painful life experiences.
In light of Victor’s Superhero status here at Defeat the Streets, we were particularly interested in hearing who he considers his favorite comic book hero. “My favorite superhero is Batman,” he expressed emphatically. “And I say that because he always utilized the resources around him – Batmobile, helicopters, etc. – to help others. He works for the greater good, and he is my favorite superhero because of that.”
When Victor isn’t out doing great work for the Covenant House or jumping out of airplanes (!), he filled us in on some of his favorite hotspots in New York and New Jersey.
“Now that I am married to a Jersey Girl, I moved out of New York and have found some great sushi spots in Jersey,” he tells us. “My favorite is called Sansu in Fair Haven, NJ. In New York, I love Umberto’s! I don’t think anyone can beat that place – they are in New Hyde Park on Long Island. If you haven’t been there, you must go!”
From all of us here at Defeat the Streets, we extend our sincerest gratitude to Victor Peralta for the tremendous work he continues to do with Covenant House. Every day, he works tirelessly to bring hope to the homeless youth in our city. His hard work, commitment, and dedication to helping others makes him a true, real-life Superhero.