Hoffman Homes for Youth
Hoffman Homes for Youth
A Pscyhiatric Residential Treatment Program for Children
Hoffman Homes for Youth & Hoffman Academy
815 Orphanage Road
Littlestown, PA 17340
717-359-7148
Hoffman Homes for Youth (HHY) provides comprehensive psychiatric care, treatment, and education to emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families from Central/South Central PA. Founded in 1910 through a bequest from George and Agnes Hoffman, HHY is committed to the care and support of children with severe mental health and behvioral issues, society’s often “forgotten children,” who have few, if any, other resources for healing and recovery.
Our residential treatment program provides behavioral and cognitive therapy, medical and dental health care services, and a safe, comfortable home environment for boys and girls ages 6 to 18, without regard to race, creed, or national origin. Many children admitted to HHY have suffered significant trauma, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect. Our goal is to give them the insight, coping skills and physical and emotional support to achieve personal growth and lifelong healing—to foster their successful return to community-based living environments as secure, confident and productive individuals.
Children admitted to HHY benefit from a wide range of therapeutic activities. They participate cognitive discussions during group, individual, and family therapies. Our innovative creative therapy programs—art, horticulture, horse and pet—are vital to our children’s success. These therapies often enable us to reach the most vulnerable of children in a way that traditional talk therapy does not, building their senses of understanding and empathy, and helping them form healthy emotional connections.
About Our Children: 2015
- Children admitted: 115
- Children discharged: 110
- Average age of a child in treatment: 13
- Average length of stay: 9 months
- 90% of our children in care have had a previous psychiatric hospital placement
- 39% of our children in care have made one or more serious attempt at suicide
- 35% of our children in care were sexually abused prior to placement
- 46% of our children in care were physically abused prior to placement
- 88% of our children in care have had a history of aggressive behavior prior to placement
- 88% of our children in care were discharged having met their treatment goals
Accomplishments
We opened Hoffman Academy, Hoffman Homes’ onsite special education school, to provide our children with a progressive and differentiated educational curriculum that is rooted in a therapeutic environment and embraces the Sanctuary Model, a specialized approach to trauma-informed care.
- 167 students have been enrolled in the new school
- 1:1 technology includes a secure iPad for each student
- One Hoffman Academy student won a local contest sponsored by The Gettysburg Times contest, which featured her artwork
- 3 students are on track to graduate from Hoffman Academy this spring
- Hoffman Academy hosted a Read Across America event, featuring VIP guest readers from WFRE and Hanover Magazine.
- Family feedback is vital: More than 40 student evaluations/re-evaluations have been completed, to ensure that we are meeting—and exceeding—students’ needs
A Sanctuary Certification Assessment is pending by the Sanctuary Institute, measuring our clinical and organization adherence to the Sanctuary Model of Care. This is a method of care that understands and takes into account our children’s trauma experiences, approaching treatment not by asking “What’s wrong with you?” but “What’s happened to you?” which fosters empathy and healing. Our commitment to the Seven Sanctuary Commitments guides our work and serves as our cultural bedrock: Nonviolence, Emotional Intelligence, Social Learning, Democracy, Open Communication, Social Responsibility and Growth and Change.
Developed and implemented a Suicide Risk Assessment and protocol, for the safeguarding of our children in care.
Completed the implementation of the Color System for behavior management, to encourage our youth to model and understand the impact of positive behavior. Children earn community outings and “Hoffman Bucks” that they can spend on items/treats at our Hoffman General Store.
Planning in progress for the integration of music therapy into our innovative/creative therapies curriculum.
Major repairs/renovations to our 100+-year-old campus included: installation of new emergency generator for much of the campus; campus electricity assessment; Myers residence fire alarm system upgrade; and a new gym roof. Upcoming projects pending consideration due to pressing need: ipgraded communications technology; virtual family therapy software; electronic medical record system; and campus repaving.
We put “Kids First,” to support their recovery andthe promise of a better life in the face of crippling emotional and psychological challenges.
We are dedicated to promoting the personal growth and achievement of the children and families we serve through our adherence to the Sanctuary Model, our innovative and creative therapies, our clinical excellence and our use of evidence-based practices. To help support brighter futures for our kids, please visit HoffmanHomes.com or call 717-359-7148.