RESIDENCE HOUSES

Our homes are a real possibility of residence for boys, girls and teenagers who cannot live with their families. Here, our purpose is to offer shelter and complete protection on a provisory and exceptional basis, aiming at their re-integration to the family.

They arrive at the houses brought by the Socio-Educational Centre, by Tutelary Boards and by public authorities.

There are three houses in Rio de Janeiro and two in Niterói, where the acquaintance with a familiar environment favours friendship, respect and confidence. In each house, boys and girls take part in the routine, clean and tidy, help in the kitchen and have schedules to study, work and for leisure. All these activities stimulate responsibility and the exercise of citizenship.

Activities developed in other unities:

Attendance to children and adolescents – We undertake systematic meetings, in groups or individually with the children and adolescents, to develop and make the best of their capacities, creativity, autonomy, citizenship, and family re-integration. All the sheltered are registered in formal education and attend to school.

Attendance to family and guardians – We keep in touch with the parents in domestic visits, trying to discover, together with the family, why a child or adolescent broke her family bonds. After that, we begin a process of approximation aiming at the re-integration.
 
All houses offer hygiene and health care, insertion in the school system and support, cultural and leisure activities, guidance to external courses and to the formal labour market.

NOTE: Since 19 June 2004, the homes Nossa Senhora da Acolhida (for girls from 6 to 18 years old) and São Cristóvão (for boys from 6 to 14) were integrated, becoming the Home Nossa Senhora do Carmo, the first co gender house of São Martinho’s. Concerning the year of 2004, we have considered the attendance of the two groups as a whole.