The Home's mission is to ensure the healthy behavioral, emotional, social and educational development and physical well-being of children and families living in at-risk circumstances.  Our mission is achieved by providing an integrated community-based system of direct care services, special education and prevention. In addition, The Home seeks to expand its sphere of influence through advocacy, being a strong voice for all children and families, not just the ones we serve directly.

With roots dating back to 1799 and the founding of the Boston Female Asylum, The Home for Little Wanderers is the nation's oldest and one of New England's largest child and family service agencies. The goal of our work is always the same: to help children and families thrive and succeed.

• We counsel families in crisis, helping them stay together and take care of their children.
• We provide special education and a place to heal for kids with challenges - and celebrate with them when they go home again. 
• We work in schools, emergency rooms and clinics to assess the right level of care for children.
• We provide safe havens for children in foster care and create "forever families" through adoption.
• We offer a place to turn to for teens with no family support and set them on a path to college and work.

The Home's "open door" structure allows children, families and young adults to access programs at any point in the continuum of care based on their needs. Specific service areas include individual, group and family therapy; psychological and neuro-psychological testing; medication management; child and family skills development; therapeutic mentoring; birth parent counseling; life skills training; community connection and integration; behavioral stabilization; educational preparation; and social, vocational and daily living supports.

 

The Home has been a leader in developing innovative programs for underserved populations.  For example, at the time of its formation, our Waltham House program was only the third group home in the country for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth; our Academic Support for College and Life program at Bridgewater State University is the first of its kind to be designed specifically for young people leaving the State's systems of care and wishing to pursue higher education; and the Young Adult Resource Network and Roxbury Village are two unique programs designed specifically to address the pressing needs of youth aging out of foster care and other state systems without the necessary adult support network to help them transition to the next stage of their lives.

 

 

 

 

• The Home became the first organization in the country to implement the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment in a child welfare organization. IPS is an evidence-based practice that was originally developed to help adults with severe mental illness find regular jobs of their choice with individualized and long-term support. Studies repeatedly show that adults who participate in an IPS program have significantly better employment outcomes than adults who participate in traditional job preparation programs. In a recent study examining outcomes of adults who had enrolled in an IPS program versus similar adults who had enrolled in a traditional vocational preparation program, results showed that IPS participants had significantly better outcomes across all employment measures and domains 18 months after enrollment. IPS was created by researchers at the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. The Home collaborated with Dartmouth to adapt and implement the IPS model for young adults; specifically, the young adults we serve who are aging out of foster care. The Home and Dartmouth were eager to collaborate on a project that could have such a positive impact on the lives of at-risk young adults; not just those served by The Home, but countless others around the country as Dartmouth and The Home disseminate outcomes from the pilot year and beyond to other youth-serving organizations.
• FY2013 saw the successful completion of our multi-year capital campaign and the opening, in September 2012, of the new facilities at Longview Farm in Walpole. The site enhancements included four cottage-style residences and a 31,000 sq. ft. addition to the school. The redesign enabled us to accommodate the 5-11 aged co-ed group that had previously been living and learning at our Knight Children’s Center (KCC) in Jamaica Plain. This iconic facility, which was dedicated in 1915, housed The Home’s longest continuously run program. 

• In October 2013, The Home launched a Xerox Digital Production Printing School-to-Career (STC) Program at Longview Farm. The program includes state-of-the-art equipment and a Xerox instructor who trains students in the growing field of digital printing. STC features a hands-on learning curriculum that includes print-job preparation, completion and fulfillment, as well as lab exercises. Students participate in class four hours a week and can spend additional time working on the production of print jobs and/or one-on-one with the instructor for extra help with curriculum concepts. The program runs for the entire school year and students receive a monthly stipend for classroom and print production time. Digital printing was selected to be included in The Home’s vocational programming because: 1) it requires skills such as software, computer, and machinery that appeal to a wide range of the students we serve; 2) the demand for qualified workers is strong and 3) it can be a practical career path that does not require a four-year degree to make a decent living. Over the last couple of months STC students have produced real print jobs for The Home including brochures, book marks, and manuals at a significant cost savings. In the near future, STC will start accepting external business and will offer photo greeting cards and calendars. The long-term goal is to generate enough revenues to offset the costs of running the program.

  
  

Goals for FY 15

 

• Achieve a 2% in additional language capacity year over year in relevant languages
• Reduce annual staff turnover rate by 2%
• Deliver five expert testimonies at State or Federal level
• 60% of students will achieve show progress in reading every 3 months
• 65% of school-age children and youth demonstrate improvement in their mental health functioning (by exit) as measured by the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale - CAFAS
• 70% of youth in placement will leave with a lifelong connection identified

 

Financial summary data in the charts and graphs above is per the organization's audited financials. Contributions from foundations and corporations are listed under individuals when the breakout was not available. Please note, the total revenue above for each fiscal year, and items listed, includes non-operating revenues. The Other revenue category above, for FY14, includes proceeds from a sale of property.

 

 

*Endowment number listed above is temporarily and permanently restricted.