Home for Little Wanderers Makes Positive Impact
Home for Little Wanderers Makes Positive Impact
The Home for Little Wanderers serves children and youth with a large network of programs. The organization offers:
- Adoption Services
- Foster Care
- Clinical and Family Support
- Residential Care
- Special Education
- Case Management
- Assistance for youth aging out of foster care
According to John Hailer’s profile, who is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Home for Little Wanderers is the oldest continuous children’s charity in the United States.
History of the Organization
Established in 1799 as the Boston Female Asylum, an orphanage. Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, was a founding contributor to the organization. In 1849, the Children’s Mission to the Children of the Destitute of the City of Boston developed from the vision of the nine-year-old daughter of a Unitarian minister, while the Union Mission & Home for the Little Wanderers was formed by 10 Boston businessmen in order to provide care for children orphaned by the Civil War. The agency began sending children out west on what were called “Orphan Trains” for adoption in 1865. Various other agencies focused on assistance to children who were either orphaned or unable to remain in the home of their parents for other reasons developed throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. The groups worked together to find homes for children who had been displaced or orphaned. In 1999, all were merged into the Home for Little Wanderers, and in 2003, Parents and Children’s Services also merged with the organization.
Goals and Mission
The main goal and mission of the Home is to provide programs and services for every stage of childhood development. The group serves children from birth until the age of 22, offering a wide range of services designed to help youth. The organization focuses on ensuring behavioral, emotional, social and educational development as well as promoting the well-being of children living in at-risk circumstances.
Programs
The adoption program at the Home works to provide permanent homes for infants, both domestically and internationally, as well as children in foster care. In addition, the Home offers an Intensive Foster Care program which identifies loving, stable homes where children can be placed if their birth parents are unable to care for them. However, the Home also works to keep children in the home with their parents as often as possible. They provide many different clinical and support services throughout Eastern Massachusetts in an effort to help keep families together while addressing issues that may affect the well-being of the child and the parents. The Home offers residential treatment facilities for children who need intensive treatment, are transitioning back to their families or are moving on to independent living. Special education programs for children aged five to 18 are available as well at two locations in Eastern Massachusetts. Through their case management program, services are coordinated through a single point of entry making it a simpler process for children and families who are in need.
In addition to these programs, the Home works with young people who have spent most of their lives in the care of the state as well as those who may have difficulty living independently. The Home works to find safe, affordable housing and provides career training to those in need. In addition, they provide coaching related to day-to-day life, including financial management and health. These services along with the many others offered by the Home for Little Wanderers are a valuable asset to the youth living in Eastern Massachusetts.
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