Homes for Youth with Disabilities

Youth I and Youth II are part of Heart of a Child’s landmark efforts to provide dignified and respectful care to individuals with severe physical and mental disabilities in Galati.  Opened in 2001 with financial backing from SERA Romania, the Youth Homes provide care to children with severe disabilities who were previously confined to governmental placement centers in Galati.

Our staff design and initiate daily therapeutic activities for the youth who require permanent care and supervision.  These activities include a strict daily schedule which enables residents to practice self-care skills and promotes communication and social interaction with staff. Individually tailored training programs also include occupational therapy activities like trips to the store and interaction with neighbors.

The homes are primarily directed by Heart of a Child’s in-home administrators, social workers, medical assistant and occupational therapists in collaboration with personal assistants sponsored by the local town hall.

Youth I and Youth II are the only permanent care facilities for individuals with severe disabilities in the region.  Sadly many children and youth still remain locked in state-run institutions, stripped of the basic human dignities and respect that all of God’s creations deserve.

In the future we hope to expand our ability to care for these children and youth by identifying job integration solutions for many of our children while identifying permanent foster care families for many of our highest-functioning residents.

Recently Heart of a Child initiated a European Union-sponsored project to promote social and job integration for individuals with disabilities, click here to learn about the “All Equal, All Different” project.

Please visit Lives Changed for stories and photos from the Youth homes.