Goal To provide an appropriate facility for youngsters with mental health disorders, as an alternative to hospitalization.

Overview This hostel will serve as a residential home for dozens of teenagers suffering a variety of mental illnesses. Located 15 km north of Be'er Sheva, the hostel will address the therapeutic, educational and social needs of 60 youth from the southern region, including teenagers who have recently been released from psychiatric hospitals and require rehabilitative care, and teenagers who need an alternative to hospitalization so that they can be fully integrated into mainstream society. The hostel will treat each youngster based on his/her special needs, and offer the opportunity for reintegration into their own community. At the same time, the hostel will ease the burden of care that falls on parents, and lighten the patient-load of psychiatric hospitals. At present there is a temporary facility in Be'er Sheva housing 20 mentally ill youth. The new, larger hostel will contain housing units for youth and staff, service areas, treatment facilities and a multi-purpose sports area. Operational management is in the hands of Adanim, an independent non-profit organization, established with the aim of advancing and caring for youth with special needs.

Update September 2006 The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc. has joined the partnership to enable Stage 1 of the project to be completed. In August 2006, the first residents began to move into the village.

Sacta-Rashi's Involvement • Part of construction costs • Management of construction

Partners UIA Canada The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc. Ministry of Social Affairs National Insurance Institute