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Rachel's Place?



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amother


 

Post Fri, Dec 24 2010, 2:35 am
I'm posting in the wrong forum because I want anon...
Does anyone have personal experience or knowledge about this place ?

I'm trying to figure out if it would be appropriate for someone I know, I've filled out the contact form on the website and am awaiting a reply but meanwhile I'm hoping to hear from some "real people."

Some specific concerns:
~Clientele: What kind of girls go there?
~What level/orientation of frumkeit?
~It says it's a 9-bed facility, sounds small, does that mean it's hard to get in?
~Who sponsors it? I haven't seen many ads or fundraising materials for donations...
~How do they deal with [possible] mental illness? Would a girl with a mental illness be able to stay in the program? (I don't think the girl in question has mental illness, but I do worry about that possibility sometimes. I think her behavior is more due to just not knowing how to cope with an unfortunate life, but I could very well be wrong)
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amother


 

Post Fri, Dec 24 2010, 2:16 pm
bump
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amother


 

Post Fri, Dec 24 2010, 2:33 pm
I know Faigie Horowitz personally and she is one of the founders of Rachel's place. She just wrote/compiled an article about it in Binah magazine. I am pasting it below:

Rachel’s Place — where a new day begins

It has been seven years since Rachel’s Place opened its doors to girls who cannot or should not live at home. The beautiful
Brooklyn residence offers camaraderie, support, therapy, and life skills training, creating a place safe for girls to heal from
traumas and move on to embrace their futures.
Those of us who helped start Rachel’s Place are awed by the extraordinary work these girls put into changing themselves.
Frequently, their achievements find musical and literary expression. Below are pages from the Rachel’s Place family
scrapbook: letters, notes, and poems that reflect the girls’ struggles and triumphs.

Shifra

I ran away from home a little over a year ago to escape
abuse and neglect. My mother was constantly threatening
me that the officials were going to cart me away and place
me in a non-Jewish home, and I figured I’d run before that
happened. I spent 10 months “couch-surfing” with different
friends in the community. Nobody wanted me on a
permanent basis. I actually slept on the
beach a few times when I had nowhere
else to go.
I came to Rachel’s Place in May of
this year. It was the first place I ever felt
safe. Even I can see the difference in
myself now. I’m doing well both
academically and socially. I plan to go
to seminary in Israel next year and live
my life like a normal frum girl.
Rachel’s Place really works. For one
thing, the service plans and programs
are tailored for each girl. And above all,
we feel they really care.

pants. But more importantly, I realized that Hashem was
keeping up a constant dialogue with me, which I now
appreciate. I am connected with Hashem. I know what’s
right. He has guided me through every step.

Bracha

Malkie

Rachel’s Place
really works.
The service
plans and
programs are
tailored for
each girl. And
above all, we
feel they really
care.

I had an extraordinary experience
before I came to Rachel’s Place. I owned
one beautiful black skirt that I wore for
all occasions — on Shabbos and Yamim
Tovim, to weddings, and whenever I
needed to feel a little special.
Then one day my skirt ripped.
I could not begin to understand how
G-d allowed this to happen. I had only
one important garment in my closet,
and it ripped. It seemed to be the story
of my life. I was fuming. So I announced to G-d: From now
on, it’s pants for me.
Some time later, while living at Rachel’s Place, I
happened to spend Shabbos with a particular family. Out of
the blue, a black skirt was waved in front of me; the owner
asked if I could use it since it no longer fit her.
It was the very same skirt. The one I had owned and
ripped.
Needless to say, I got the message and I no longer wear

I am so young, yet I’ve been through a lifetime of pain
because of my dysfunctional and
abusive background. On the outside, I
seem happy and all smiles. But inside
I’m hurting.
I want to rid myself of my horrible
memories and horrible thoughts. The
problem is that the more I pretend, the
more the thoughts grow. I am
pretending at a terrible cost. I try to
stop pretending so that I can heal, but I
think it’s too late, because I can no
longer feel.
Why am I not normal like all other
kids? What did I do? How could I, at age
nine, feel so worthless, without the will
to live? At 14 I looked in the mirror and
just cried and cried. Who am I? Of what
value? None, I was sure.
I tried many things to dull the pain.
At 16 I had had enough, and I tried to
seriously harm myself. Some guardian
angel from Shomrim took me and led
me to Rachel’s Place. What I thought
was my worst moment was actually my
best. I could not believe what greeted
me there. What? Other girls like me?
All in agony, for one reason or
another…?
I decided to give it a try, and that’s how I entered my safe
zone. I was no longer a target for abuse like in my old
home. At Rachel’s Place I found ME — a worthwhile girl
who can hope and dream. I graduated high school with
beautiful grades. I’m presently in a mainstream seminary.
Rachel’s Place is my anchor. Rachel’s Place is my home. I
plan to be the worthwhile person I found at Rachel’s Place
and pass that on to my children.

Rachel

My family, for reasons that are not very clear to me,
insists I am developmentally disabled. As it turns out, this
is not so.
Through a series of miraculous events I found my way to
Rachel’s Place. I learned to read and write English and
Hebrew. I learned to daven. Because of my unusual
situation, I received waivers so that I could stay for several
years at Rachel’s Place.
I used to turn inward, afraid to fail. I seldom gave voice
to my thoughts and feelings, and even today cannot always
assert myself. But I have come a long way at Rachel’s Place.
Last June I graduated high school. I spoke at graduation and
thanked everyone for being there to see me in the blue
gown I never thought I would wear. I received two awards:
one for tefillah and the other for
scholastic achievement.
In davening, we say the tefillah Elokai,
Neshamah, where we thank Hashem for
giving us our neshamah. This is His
greatest gift to each person, and it is
our job to take care of it. This is what I
learned to do at Rachel’s Place.
I daven for Hashem’s help. I look
forward to the day that, with the help of
Rachel’s Place, I’ll return to my family.
But when I do, it will be with pride in
who I really am.
If not for Rachel’s Place, I don’t know
where I’d be today. Or maybe I do know,
and that is most disturbing.

Thank You, Rachel s Place

I’ve shuttered my eyes, ignoring the view
I’ve lived in my scenery, a reality black and blue.
The stark stage of my life my only purview.

Coaxing, coaching, caring people have opened the window
My eyes now staring out at a vista I didn’t want to know.

The grass so green with blossoming flowers
The butterflies flying among tall towers
The sky so blue with clouds drifting away
The sun so strong, birds flying all day
Mountains reaching the highest of high
So tall and fierce, touching the sky
The ants so small, crawling around
To feed their families, taking food from
the ground.

Trust

I entered my
safe zone. At
Rachel’s Place I
found ME — a
worthwhile girl
who can hope
and dream.
Rachel’s Place
is my anchor.

One day I pray
It will be instinctive to me
To focus on Hashem’s
Infinite bounty.

Nechama

Kids with nowhere to go
And no one to love
Searching for answers
From the One Above.

We’re scared, confused
Alone, sad
All our pain and hurting
Gets me so mad.

Each girl’s plight seems almost unreal
Carrying heavy burdens
Seemingly concealed.

G-d in His infinite wisdom
Has an answer for all He does.
I guess the best way to go with this
Is without a fuss.

Michal

I come from what many would term
the best of homes. I really can’t argue
with that. All my siblings are high-
functioning and successful. My parents
do try hard. Intellectually, I know they
are good people. Yet I don’t belong in
their home. I am drawn to things they
don’t approve of. I just don’t fit in; I
don’t want to fit in. I know I have
caused them grief, and at this point
they are not that interested in my living at home any more
than I am. Until I’m 18 and legally on my own, I need
Rachel’s Place.
Rachel’s Place has the same goals as my parents, but the
staff goes about helping us achieve those goals differently.
There are rules and regulations, and yes, sometimes they’re
limiting. I could live without the curfew and doing chores.
Yet there is an acceptance here that gives me a huge
amount of space and creates a therapeutic environment.
Until now, I’ve been stealing from stores to acquire my
needs and wants. I was a serious substance abuser, but I’m
presently clean. I know that Rachel’s Place has zero
tolerance for drug use.
Some of the girls here seem so normal, so focused. I
wonder if one day a new arrival will say that about me. In

the meantime, I know the ropes and I’m with the program.
The place is beautiful. I feel comfortable, tended to, and safe.

Sophia

time and the nurturing I receive here to grow into the
person I truly aspire to be. I have come so far!
Thank you so much to all the people who have given me
this opportunity. I hope only to make you proud. Thank you
to all the people who give their hearts and souls every day
to help me along this journey called life. B

When I first heard about Rachel’s Place, I couldn’t believe
it. To me it seemed like heaven: a place where I would be
cared for, loved, and nurtured, where I could grow and leave
behind the bad choices I’d made. It seemed like a place
where I could figure out why I did the things I did and move
past all the anger, hurt, and loneliness. I wanted to be
accepted at Rachel’s Place so badly. In my mind, it was my
last chance, the last string. If that string would break, I felt,
I would be totally lost and would never find my way again.
Thank G-d I was accepted into this amazing place, my own
little heaven.
Since coming to Rachel’s Place, I have accomplished so
much! I have enrolled in Ohr Naava, which I am thrilled
about because I was never able to attend seminary in Israel.
I am in the process of applying to college, which I always
dreamt of but never imagined I would have the chance to
do. I have made friendships with the other girls here —
friendships that may in fact last a lifetime. I am using this

Rachel’s Place accepts girls from ages 16 to 21. The
wrap-around licensed program is designed to transition
them to independent living or reunification with family
through a full system of services. Girls remain part of
the Rachel’s Place family long after they move into their
own apartments.
To support the girls’ educational, therapeutic, after-
care and other expenses, the organization is producing
Barons and Bankers, a live musical drama to be held
December 18 and 19, 2010 and January 8, 2011. For more
information about the performance, please call (718)
506-9900. For more information about the residence,
please call (718) 253-5364.
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happyone




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 24 2010, 2:41 pm
you can PM me for Faigy Horowitz's email address. She can help answer all your questions about the place.
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amother
Gold


 

Post Tue, Sep 19 2017, 3:01 pm
I know this is an old post but where can I get more info abt Rachel's place?
Very important!
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blessedjmom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Dec 06 2019, 1:53 am
Bump
Anyone with info about this place?
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amother
Ruby


 

Post Fri, Dec 06 2019, 8:09 am
Here is the contact info, taken online from https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/youth......asp.
(I googled it)

Imeinu, Inc.
Emergency Phone: 347-281-0510
24 Hour Service: No
Phone: 718-253-5364
Runaway and Homeless Youth Service Coordinator
Randy A. Scott 646-343-6496

Imeinu Inc. is Rachel's Place.
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