“Here they told us, ‘If your family finds out you ran away and one day when you are grown they see you stealing, what will they say? That you’re a professional thief now? Stay here and study and when you are grown you can show your mom and dad you left the streets. You can show them your diploma and tell them you graduated. That’s what you can tell them!’ I had never thought about that before. That really motivated me to stick with it.â€
– Lucho, 14

Residential Care

Our residential program is divided into 3 distinct phases: transition off the streets, long-term residency in a permanent home, and transition to independence. Each phase of the program serves a distinct purpose with specific, measurable goals. Individualized service plans guide each child's progress through these phases and, whenever possible, focus on reintegrating each child with their family. Specially trained house parents care for the children in each of our homes. In addition, children participate in programs and receive services according to their needs through the Kaya Center.

Hogar Renacer

The Hogar Renacer is our transition home. Children coming off of the streets first enter this home where they receive intensive services in a highly supportive and structured environment. Specific topics that are addressed during this phase include: drug abuse, anger management, emotion regulation, depression and anxiety,  self-esteem, conflict resolution, and coping strategies. Children in this stage work toward a move back home with their families, or prepare to enter one of our permanent homes. They also prepare to re-enter school.

Hogar Bernabé & Hogar Betánia

In our permanent homes, children live in families with house parents. Each home houses no more than 10 children and operates like a typical family home, with a healthy balance of structure and freedom. Children have age-appropriate chores and responsibilities to help them learn important life skills, and they also enjoy family games, celebrations and meals. Living as families serves two main purposes. First, it fulfills the basic human need for a place to belong and offers the children a second chance at building familial relationships. And second, it models for them a functional family, providing them with a first-hand understanding of what it takes to build a healthy home.

Transition to Independence Program

Our residential program does not have a fixed end-point for all children. The ultimate goal is to prepare children for healthy, sustainable and independent living, but that requires different things for different children. The Transition to Independence Program is customized to each child's situation and is guided by an individual plan with particular goals and success indicators. Since our program is young, no child has yet graduated and completed this stage. The oldest children, who are still in high school, are participating in workshops to develop important life skills and working with their counselors to develop detailed plans for their futures.

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