Therapeutic Residential Home | Caring for Hoyleton's Youth

“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong,
and laughter never ends.”

What makes a house a home? Is it the structure—a roof, four walls, windows, and a door? Or, is it the individuals who live within those walls creating memories together, and sharing the messiness and memories of life? The reality is that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Individuals make a house a home by living in it and creating shared experiences that are uniquely theirs. However, a house by nature evokes feelings of security, stability, belonging, and permanency. Hoyleton is seeking to provide an authentic picture of home, for the youth in our care, through our new Therapeutic Residential Home. 

Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Belleville, Illinois, the five-bedroom Therapeutic Residential Home will provide youth ages 9-18 a pathway for transitioning from residential living to a traditional foster care home or returning home. Hoyleton aims to prepare a child for success in making this transition once they have achieved the life skills, which made institutional care necessary. While Hoyleton’s institutional care facilities are set-up like a home, the environment is structured. In residential care, youth attend Hoyleton’s private school and enjoy activities with their housemates in a group setting. In contrast, in the Therapeutic Residential Home, youth will attend school in the community and have greater exposure to traditional family structure and interactions. This transitional step paves the way for youth to have the tools necessary to thrive in life beyond Hoyleton. 

The concept of the Residential Therapeutic Home is coming into focus as Hoyleton moves into phase one—demolition. By partnering with Neighbors for Renewal, an all-volunteer local nonprofit that rehabs homes, Hoyleton can keep costs modest. With a completion date set for April or May 2020, there is much to do. The rehabbing of the newly acquired home will require volunteers interested in construction, painting, plumbing, and more. If this is a community project you would be interested in being a part of, please call Alice Drobisch at 618.688.7094. The sentiment is true: many hands make for light work.