Family House Incorporated

Residential Care: Each Family House resident has his or her own room in one of the houses and shares a common leaving and eating area. This homelike setting promotes a family atmosphere and social interaction. Full-time cooks prepare fresh meals three times a day, and special meals are prepared for renal and diabetic patients. Each house has trained staff on a 24-hour basis. Since some residents are Alzheimer or dementia patients, every resident door is fitted with an individual alarm specific to that location. If the door is opened when the patient is supposed to be in the room, the staff knows immediately to which door to go. Each building has its own washer and dryer and clothes are washed all day long. Children's After-School and Weekend Program: Years ago when neighborhood children began hanging around the porches and sidewalks looking for something to do, Family House began inviting them in and tried to create wholesome activities for them. Now more than 50 neighborhood children come each day after school to Family House. In return for participating in activities and receiving food, the children are required to perform little services such as picking up paper in front of the homes. They also must bring their report cards to FH and discuss any poor reports. On Saturdays they come and have lunch with the seniors and engage in special projects such as gardening. Children's Summer Program: In addition to activities carried out on a regular basis in the neighborhood, Family House endeavors to send neighborhood children to camp to enjoy new experiences and broaden their horizons. Last year FH was able to send 19 children-most of whom had never been out of the neighborhood--and two staff members to a camp in Northern Wisconsin for two weeks. Clothing Bank: As with the food pantry, Family House shares extra clothing donations with the low-income families in the neighborhood. Children and adults are welcomed to come and choose clean and gently-used clothing.