Namaqua Center

In many ways, change has been what Namaqua Center has always been about. Young lives that have been battered and broken are healed and restored. The commitment of our staff, our Board of Directors, and you, our donors and friends, has allowed us to safely cocoon the children who come to us, until they are strong enough to emerge and take flight. And that is the miracle of change. Somehow, from the darkest, most frightening places, beautiful things can emerge.

Today, we are writing to you to tell you about a change that the Namaqua Center is undergoing. Over the past several years, new and highly successful models for treating abused and neglected children have been emerging across the country. We have always known that children do best in a family environment; what has been lacking in the past is the ability to provide a home environment to every child where they can be safe and where they can heal. When children no longer have a safe home environment, residential treatment is the response.

At Namaqua Center, we now know that if we take the intensive resources and services that go into residential treatment and instead target them into family environments, children do better. They can stay in their community, in their school, and most importantly, in a family –which every child needs and deserves. Therefore, we will be directing our resources into some very new and exciting programs such as the Family Support Program, the Specialized Foster Care Program, Respite Care, and the Kinship Navigation Program. Each of these programs asks the important questions: What will it take to keep this child in a family, be it with biological parents, grandparents, foster parents, or adoptive parents? How can we make sure this child and family is safe and healthy? Because we know this is what is best for children.

And so, it is with some sadness that we announce the end of residential services at the Namaqua Center. The sadness we are experiencing, and expect that you will too, is about the many memories we have shared with the children and one another, and our deep-seated knowledge that lives, in fact, were transformed. But with this sadness comes a true belief that we are doing what is right and best for the children in our care.

We have had so many amazing donors and supporters over the years, and we hope that the friendships that have evolved from our relationships with one another will continue. The children who touched your hearts enough to cause you to step forward and say, "I want to help" are still out there. And they are still walking through our doors every day. It is our hope that as we navigate this new and somewhat bittersweet territory, your commitment to our work and our children will follow us. We will keep you updated about future transitions at Namaqua Center, and hope you will contact us with any questions.