The warm shelter has been active within “Ronen” (social services for youth in Bat Yam) for the last 5 years. Two years ago it was named after Hadas, a soldier from Bat Yam who had died during her military service.
The "warm shelter" is an active warm home as its name implies. It is an enriching therapeutic institution within the community, serves as a school for human skills and aims to contribute a good social experience (within the peer group) for young girls at risk (and girls that suffered from severe negligence).
The notion of establishing such a frame initiated from routine social work with young population. We felt lack of establishments which provide activities for girls at risk, in the process of deterioration, or girls which have difficulty to cope with functioning outside their homes. The warm shelter allows those girls to receive close guidance in the many realms within their natural habitat.
We found that having “a room of their own” where they belong and feel wanted, decreases the common phenomena of dropping out of schools and wandering in the streets.
Establishing trust is another goal which we put into practice within this group’s frame. This goal is achieved mainly through the informal gatherings of the girls among themselves and the every day interaction with the shelters staff, enabling us to reach deeper personal levels with the girls and intervene when necessary.

The target population
Hadas warm shelter is available for Bat Yam female adolescents at risk, between the ages of 14 –17. The risks and problem that are common among the girls:
Family problems: Girls from multi-problematic families that lack economic, emotional and educational resources. Many of the girls, come from dysfunctional families, within these families the girls manage the parental role, while the parents are disabled in this matter. Hadas warm shelter allows them to rest from this family role, being able to function as teenagers for a few hours.
Self-destructive behavior: Wandering in the streets, relating with juvenile delinquents and criminal population, substance abuse, suicidal attempts, sexual permissiveness and more.
Low self esteem: Many of the girls suffer from problematic self esteem and low confidence.
Lack of trust: Girls who are unable to trust their social environment, adults and formal establishments. Sometimes as a result of traumatic experience.
Social cut-off: Girls that lack social skills who experienced rejection throughout their lives, in addition to rejection on the part of their families.

The staff
The shelters' regular staff includes a social worker, two soldier-teachers (soldiers who serve as teachers in different parts of the country) and a house-keeper. Professional instructors take part in several additional types of activities.
The social worker manages the professional psychosocial aspect as well as the managerial functions of the organization. She is also responsible for professional guidance of the whole stuff.
The soldier-teacher role is a combination of a few functions: they perform at the same time as an authority for the attendants and as their “sisters” (being part of the same age group).
The house- keeper is responsible for the practical roles of a household: she cooks, takes care of the shelter, and most important, she welcomes the girls when they arrive after school in a motherly manner, warms up and serves their meals while conducting informal conversations with them.



The activities at Beith Hadas
Hadas warm shelter is open twice a week during the afternoon, five hours each day. An additional open afternoon is dedicated to helping the girls with their homework.
The annual program is “played by ear” in order to give a proper respond to the girls needs in the attempt to offer proper solutions for their requests and at the same time it requires planning in advance.
The everyday activities include having a warm meal together, time for preparing their homework, watching T.V, informal conversations, and additional programs aiming towards improving life skills. Enrichment courses in different subjects like geography, theatre, human sexuality, beauty care, first aid, self defense, video therapy and creative work-shops.
Once a week, the social worker holds a meeting with the staff. The meeting handles the relevant issues and significant problems of the girls, while the staff deals with them.
Passover, Purim as well as other holidays and the girls’ birthdays are celebrated annually at "Hadas warm shelter". During Purim the girls go out to children wards in local hospitals to cheer up the children and thus maintain the girls in active care and relation with the community.
Memorial Day and holocaust Memorial Day are important events within the activities of the shelter. Further activities being held outdoor of the shelter are, theatre shows, tours to different sites in the country including a annual trip to Eilat, and summer vacation fun activities in the Dan area.



Summary
The main aim of Hadas warm shelter is to be a model of a normal home, where the attendants create their own specific experience of being at home. It includes having their meals together, sharing responsibilities maintaining the household and celebrating special occasions.
Within this concept, the girls get to practice the emotional aspect further than in any other method. They support each other while being able to express their feelings most authentically. They are also able to receive caring respectful relationship from the staff along side with restrictions and rules they draw by putting their authority into practice, sometimes intervening in order to solve conflicts. The personal and emotional aspects of holding relationships within this approach (within the warm shelter), especially dealing with personal conflicts are a great deal more meaningful in increasing the feeling of belonging to the group. Thus they are more successful than any other short- term treatments.



A letter to the girls of Beith Hadas

Dear girls,
Here we have to part,
Leaving makes me weep,
Although I think that words can hardly express my feelings,
I would like to tell you what Beith Hadas means to me.

Here we are equal but different
And loving each other we feel
That so lots of love and warmth is given for free
Here everything is so peaceful.
Beith Hadas makes a difference to each and every one of us
And is the light at the end of the tunnel.
You can always find there someone to share your story
Someone to lean on when you hurt
With a shining smile to make you feel better
Beith Hadas is like a blessing from God
I hope it exists for ever and ever…

Karin, April 2002