Five Acres announces today it has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation in support of its Residential Treatment Programs, in particular the “Open Doors” Residentially Based Services pilot program for children with emotional disturbances.
Five Acres Residential Treatment Programs provide round-the-clock therapeutic care to boys and girls age 6-17 who have been removed from their homes by child protective services and who live at Five Acres during their treatment. The program annually serves 130-140 children whose emotional needs are too severe to be served in foster home settings. Most clients are from ethnicities of color, and nearly all are from low or very-low income households.
The goal of the Residential Treatment Program is to stabilize children’s behavior through therapy and treatment, so that they can transition into less restrictive settings, such as the home of a parent or relative, foster-to-adoptive home, or legal guardian.
“Open Doors” Residential Behavioral Services is the pilot program utilized in two of the seven cottages for Residential Treatment at Five Acres. This program is helping the county and state identify strategies to shorten the time foster children spend in institutionalized settings and to increase their success rates when re-introduced into family home environments. Results will be used to help inform congregate care policy changes for the State of California.
Chief Program Officer of Five Acres, Gina Perez shares,
“This generous $100,000 gift from the Annenberg Foundation supports Five Acres mission of promoting the safety, and wellbeing, for children in our care. This grant will serve to further our aim of connecting children to permanent and loving families.”
Established in 1989, the Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally. The Foundation and its Board of Directors are also directly involved in the community with innovative projects that further its mission of advancing a better tomorrow through visionary leadership today. The Foundation encourages the development of effective ways to communicate by sharing ideas and knowledge.
Five Acres is grateful for the vital support of generous individuals, corporations, and foundations such as The Annenberg Foundation to help at-risk children achieve safety, well-being, and permanent, loving families.
About Five Acres
Five Acres is a child and family services agency strengthening families and preventing child abuse through treatment and education in community based and residential programs. Established as an orphanage in 1888, today Five Acres offers an array of services including community and deaf services, therapeutic and foster care , adoption and a nonpublic school. In 2015 Five Acres supported more than 8, 500 children and family members across five counties.
For more information please visit www.5acres.org or contact Director of Branding & Communications, Rebecca Haussling at [email protected].
