Vision
This initiative to create a new solution for at-risk teenagers in the south is in line with the Ministry of Welfare’s policy of placing children close to their families so as to retain natural ties with the home and community. The village offers a broad array of solutions and a continuum of therapeutic services in one campus, enabling customized treatment that can be adapted to respond to the changing needs of the young person.
Activity
Rashi Foundation has initiated the establishment of a youth village in Be’er Sheva in order to address the pressing need for more solutions in the South for teens who must be removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect by their families, or because of their descent into unlawful behavior. This initiative became an opportunity to create a new kind of youth village where various services and programs for youth at risk are coordinated and operated in one place, under one administration. Matanel has teamed up with Rashi to build parts of this village, which operates in the heart of an urban neighborhood. It will ultimately serve 200 adolescents in residential, day care, counseling and emergency frameworks. Today, the Anchor is home to 56 youngsters living in group homes. There are 30 teenagers attending after-school clubs on a daily basis, 45 youngsters in the Meitar therapeutic day center, and 140 adolescents who receive guidance and support in the Parent-Adolescent Center. Around 200 young people per year find refuge in the emergency shelter. The village also runs an apartment for 6 female village graduates who are currently serving in military or national service; a similar apartment will soon open for male graduates.