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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
May 2001 |
Yesterday's orphanage, today's group home
By Steve Hall
A young mother and a family services worker waited in the administration building of the Indiana United Methodist Children's Home, Inc. The mother had a nervous smile and a bag of warm-weather clothes for her son.
"He's in Time Out now," a staffer explained. "Why don't I take you back, and we'll bring him in shortly?"
The presence of the parent and county social worker and the reference to youth behavioral problems hint at how Indiana's United Methodist homes for children and youth differs today from the old image of them as orphanages. Today the United Methodist Youth Home in Evansville, Bashor Children's Home in Goshen and the Lebanon facility all serve youth with emotional, behavioral and educational difficulties, often brought on by physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment.
Two of the homes were founded as orphanages -- Bashor in 1928 and the United Methodist Children's Home, then located in Greencastle, in 1915.
"Because of disease, accidents and the state of medicine, there were more orphans then," said Gary J. Davis, executive director of the Indiana United Methodist Children's Home, Inc. "If a farmer's wife died and left young children behind, the farmer couldn't take care of them and the farm at the same time. So they ended up here, or somewhere like here."
The railroads allowed Angie Godwin, a Methodist Deaconess and ordained minister, to ride the rails for free and collect food and clothing for the orphans from the churches at each stop.
In that era, orphanages were considered such an asset that when the Greencastle facility decided to relocate, communities put together deals to woo it like cities try to attract major-league sports teams today.
Lebanon assembled the best package, which included the deed to land west of the current administration building. With a staff of 118, the Lebanon facility serves an average of 120 boys and girls, with about 72 children living there on any given day.
The role of the homes began to change in the 1960s and 1970s. "Basically, society changed," said Vince Turner, vice president of development and public relations at Bashor, currently serving 66 children with 100 full-time employees. Forty-eight children currently reside at the home.
"You started to see more placement of orphans with other relatives or in foster homes," said Turner. "At the same time, there seemed to be a growing need for facilities serving children with emotional and behavioral problems."
The girls-only United Methodist Youth Home in Evansville reflected the new trend when it was founded in 1978 by the Evansville District of the United Methodist Church. It was never an orphanage.
"These girls are not homeless," said Barbara Jessen, administrator of the home with 24 staffers and 18 girls, most aged 15 to 18, including pregnant teens and teen mothers. "They are family-less, in the sense that often the girls come from a situation where one or both parents are absent or not involved with the child. Often psychological, sexual or substance abuse is involved."
The specialized programs offered by the homes range from individual and family counseling to treatment for substance abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD).
"The children tend to be more aggressive" than the kids who used to wind up at the homes, Goshen's Turner said. "They're not bad kids. They've just adopted this kind of behavior because of abuse or neglect."
Living arrangements range from Lebanon's Therapeutic Care Unit, where boys aged 6 to 13 and prone to self-destructive behavior and other severe emotional problems receive intensive supervision and counseling, to Evansville's Semi-Independent Living Program, where girls aged 16 to 21 learn how to shop for groceries, cook and take care of their apartments.
"The older girls are encouraged to get a job and save half of each paycheck for a nest egg," said Jessen of Evansville. The Lebanon facility also has ties with local businesses such as Kroger and Burger King where its residents work, save for the future and learn responsibility.
Many of the children attend public schools, while some receive their education on-site. Home-based outreach services teach independent living skills and parental involvement. Productive behavior is rewarded with off-site trips to local malls, movie theaters and activities such as miniature golf and bowling.
The length of stay in the homes averages from a few weeks to six to nine months.
"We do have some kids for three to four years, and watch them grow up, go to the prom and graduate," said Lebanon's Davis, whose father was also an administrator at the home. "Some of the kids can't wait to get out of here, but then they come back to visit years later to talk about how important the home was in changing their lives. They just didn't realize it at the time."
One success story at Goshen, for instance, is Mark Truchet. An unstable home life led to troubles at home and in school. He first came to residential care as a freshman, was reunited with his natural mother as a sophomore, but soon returned to Bashor and stayed until he graduated.
"Bashor helped me keep my nose clean," he said. "There are still a lot of things I heard back then that sink in today-lessons that I learned from the people here."
Attending NorthWood High School, Truchet was linebacker on a Panthers team that appeared in the state finals, and ran track for the school's sectional champions. Later he was a Navy operations specialist. Today, he and his wife, Jeanette, have six children, and the family fills a pew at Nappanee United Methodist Church.
Indiana United Methodist Children's Home, Inc.
Bashor Children's Home
United Methodist Youth Home
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"I knew who (Christ) was because of the things I was taught (at Bashor)," Truchet said. "Thanks to those who shared with me back then, I was ready to take Him into my heart." Such religious instruction is a component of all the homes.
At Evansville, all residents are required to attend church, although the church can be of the girl's choice. The home has a relationship with Epworth United Methodist Church, which holds a Tuesday Bible study for the girls.
Lebanon has a similar relationship with Centenary United Methodist Church, although the required attendance does not have to be at a United Methodist Church. The facility also has a Wednesday vespers service in its chapel, with the boys and girls participating in choir, puppet and clown ministry.
"Being part of the puppet group has helped me to show my feelings," said Matthew, 14, in the facility's "Home News" newsletter. "Singing in the choir has also played a big part in me realizing I can do things in front of my peers. … Now I feel better about … doing all kinds of things in front of others."
Bashor Children's Home also has ties with local churches, as well as weekly Bible study, a vespers service, a monthly contemporary worship service and a full-time youth chaplain, the Rev. Sam Boys. "I consider him a vital part of the treatment plan," Turner said.
Oversight of the homes comes from the state, since they are licensed as group homes. While they are affiliated institutions with a reporting relationship to the United Methodist Church, "we do not have a legal relationship, financially or otherwise," explained Brent Williams, director of finance and administration for the North Conference. "They are independent of us despite their origins. They're like Methodist Hospital or DePauw University."
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"I knew who (Christ) was because of the things I was taught (at Bashor). Thanks to those who shared with me back then, I was ready to take Him into my heart." |
Since almost all the children are placed in the homes through county involvement, the largest chunk of each home's budget comes from per diem compensation from the respective county. In Evansville, for instance, that per diem covers two-thirds of the cost of having a girl in residence, Jessen said.
Of the home's $600,000 annual budget last year, $25,000 came from the South Conference. About a fourth of the total budget came from donations, the majority from Methodist churches, groups and individuals. Most of the board members are Methodists and the District Superintendent is an ex officio member.
The Indiana United Methodist Children's Home, Inc. in Lebanon has an annual budget of $5.2 million. Last year, the home received $36,000 from the North Conference and $32,000 from the South Conference. Its board includes nine members each from the North and South Conferences and twelve at large. About 6® percent of its budget comes from donations from Methodist churches, individuals and groups.
The Bashor Children's Home received $60,000, or roughly 10 percent of its annual budget, from the North Conference last year.
Despite the lack of formal legal ties, the homes welcome their involvement with the church. "In the three years I've been here, one of the greatest blessings has been seeing the renewed relationship," said Goshen's Turner. "Several local churches have adopted us as their mission project. It feels like a return to our roots."