Residential facility for abused, abandoned and neglected children and families
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children provides home and healing for all children and families. From offering an emergency safe haven for young children in distress to providing older kids the life skills they need to be productive, confident adults, St. Jude’s Ranch provides round-the-clock services focused on helping children with the emotional, behavioral and social challenges that brought them here.
Children are placed in our care through state placement agencies following abuse, abandonment or
neglect. Some have parents who are incarcerated or battle substance abuse problems; others have parents
who were children of abuse themselves and continued the cycle. Many children simply come to us from
parents who lack the skills or financial ability to care for them.
St. Jude’s Ranch is not just a stop along the way for these children or just another place to live.
Rather, we provide a targeted, outcomes-based therapeutic program that changes the lives of the youth we
serve. With rare exception, our children have experienced several failed foster placements before coming to
us—sometimes as many as 10 or 12. Each child is assessed and receives a personalized treatment program designed around his or her individual emotional, social and behavioral needs, and it’s all done in a stable, home-like environment where children can feel like they have finally found a place of their own and not worry about where
“they’ll end up next.”
Our overall goal is to improve long-term
outcomes by supporting children in a structured
program that is delivered in a safe and loving
environment; a program designed to heal and to break
the vicious cycle of child abuse. One thing that sets us apart from our peers is our ability to accept sibling groups. On average, two-thirds of our population is made up of children who come with at least one brother or sister. Quite often, all these children have is each other. Allowing them to remain in close proximity to one another is extremely helpful in the healing process. They see each other every day; they go to school together and
they play together…just like other kids.
We are dedicated to giving all of our children everything they need overcome a troubled past and look forward to a bright, promising future.
Keywords: Abused, Abondoned, Neglected, Children, Pregnant Teens, Homeless Youth