Transition Homes
Heart for Orphans offers orphaned teens (ages 16-22) a chance to live in a healthy family environment. In our Christ-centered Transition Homes, we teach our teens through love how to live with respect and dignity while teaching life skills. Staffed by mature house parents, our teens are given a life they have never known. Teens learn to treat others with kindness and compassion, and to live together as part of a loving family. When they realize they are loved and belong, they stop being orphans!
With more than 100,000 children in Ukraine and 25,000 in Belarus currently living in orphanages, it is the vision of Heart for Orphans to open more Transition Homes to meet this overwhelming need.
What makes our homes different?
Family-like — Our homes are small and family-like
We want young people who have grown up in an institution to learn how to live in a family. This is one of the biggest challenges orphans face! Most have spent their lives in a government institution and don’t understand how a healthy family functions. For this reason, we don’t allow our home to become too large.
Discipleship — Homes of Christian discipleship
Our homes teach young people what it means to walk with Christ. Our house parents model their relationship with Christ and with each other. The goal is to give young people a model of Christian living. We encourage our teens to hear from the Lord directly so He will guide them throughout their life.
Relationships — House parents teach healthy relationships
Orphans are welcomed into our homes and are treated as one of the family. Our house parents model a healthy marriage and healthy family relationship. That is compelling to orphans, because most have only ever seen dysfunctional relationships.
Community — Connection with the local church
The local church is the larger community where our kids will continue to grow and mature in Christ when they leave our homes. The church is their support system. Our want our homes have a close relationship with the local church.
“When I came here I saw what real family is, and how good it is when you have a daddy and mother to care for you...I am not as rude, or rough and tough as I was when I first got here...I want to continue to change and become more like God so that my relatives can see the transformation in my life, too.”