In March 1969 Rex Smith, one of the original founders of Hearts & Homes for Youth, prepared a report called “The House That People Built: Anatomy of a Group Home in Suburbia.” The subject of the report was the Boys’ Home of Montgomery County, which is now known as Hearts & Homes for Youth. Here are some excerpts from the report.

"We appreciate very much the interest and enthusiasm of the local community without whose support as individuals, groups, and corporate citizens, there would be no home and no report." -Rex Smith

History

The history of progress in the human service area often revolves around a tragic accident…

There was in our history, a single case in point that brought attention to the seriousness of this problem, which had not yet been brought to public attention through tragedy. This case occurred in the adult court regarding a youth of nineteen years. Mr. Melvin M. Feldman, later to become the President of the Board of Directors of the Boys’ Home, was appointed to the case of the youth, who was without family or other resources.

The judge, based on Mr. Feldman’s investigation, did not want to commit the boy to a reformatory, but found himself in a quandary. Mr. Feldman, a man of action, got in touch with several people who eventually led him to Reverend David Watterworth, then Pastor of the Georgia Avenue Christian Church in Silver Spring, MD. Arrangements were made for Reverend Watterworth to take the young lad into his own home where he remained for the next several months until he went out on his own. There were no incidents of offensive behavior recorded during his period of stay with the Watterworth family.

Neither Mr. Feldman nor Reverend Watterworth were satisfied with the facilities available for youngsters in difficulty. They both involved the Honorable Alfred D. Noyes, Judge of the Juvenile Court for Montgomery County, in an effort to develop a plan for the establishment and operation of youth homes throughout the county. These homes would be capable of dealing with youngsters who were in trouble and/or from troubled homes, who would benefit from a residential experience with other youngsters. Here they would have the opportunity for education, vocational training, and work experience.

Mr. Feldman called together a group of thirteen people on the evening of February 24, 1964 to further discuss the dilemma facing the courts. The group discussed the “half-way house” concept and set out fact-finding committees to determine how financial assistance could be developed, as well as the intent and scope of the program, which would be established in the home. Several committees were set for various purposes with major emphasis centered around the development of community interest in the youngsters and the program.

The group decided to incorporate itself as the Boys’ Home of Montgomery County on April 17, 1964. During the next few months, one of the committees developed a liaison with and a commitment from the various social service agencies in the community toward helping the Boys’ Home. These included the Probation Department of the Juvenile Court, the Department of Public Welfare, the Division of Child Mental Health, the Board of Education Pupil Services Division, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation for the State of Maryland, the Family Services Agency of Montgomery County, the Probation Department of the Circuit Court, the Department of Employment Security, and the Bureau of Rehabilitation of the National Capital Area. There was little doubt that the social serving agencies who dealt with adolescent youth everyday considered this a major project.

An investigation and study of probation cases in the Juvenile Court in 1964 found that at least one hundred young men between the ages of 16 and 19 who appeared before the Juvenile Court in Montgomery County would have been referred for placement in a structured homelike setting. It was clear that many adolescent youth in the community needed residential treatment and placement outside of their own homes but not in a mental hospital or in training school settings. The Maryland State Department of Public Welfare had held a conference as far back as 1961 on halfway houses. The need to provide this type of residential treatment in the State of Maryland was cited time and time again with as yet no results. Judge Alfred Noyes stated:

“I have no doubt that it could help save many boys from a life of crime… The court in most instances is confronted with a choice offering either probation services or commitment to one of the State training schools. There should be alternative facilities such as small group homes where children could live in a homelike atmosphere under the supervision of competent personnel and receive probation services from the staff of Court.”

On February 12, 1968 we opened the doors of the Boys’ Home… We had arranged for contractual spaces, that is, four bedrooms on the upper floor of a large old home in Rockville, which was used as a boarding house for adults. A part-time counselor was hired and with the help of the owner of the home who acted as a cook and housekeeper, and the probation staff, we were able to develop a shoestring approach to the guidance and development of the youngsters who were referred to us by the Juvenile Court.

In May of 1968 we learned of the foresight and conscientious concern of the Montgomery County Council for the Boys’ Home… the County Council appropriated $30,000 in its 1968-69 budget to match the money raised by the Boys’ Home. This $30,000 would help pay for at least one half of the cost of care, per boy, per month. This single action by the Montgomery City Council was probably the most significant in our development. We were a reality, but this acceptance of our integrity by the governing body of the County seemed to push us over the hump.

At this writing, our history is in fact history. We are by no means on easy street and, as mentioned before, our existence from year to year will be as much based on the grass roots $5 membership from individual citizenry as on larger contributions from major corporations and foundations. We started on nickels and dimes raised at the Montgomery County Fair through the sale of balloons and other small but very significant contributions. Certainly we plan to better our organization and expand as part of our future. Our history as it can be read. however, makes us both humble and grateful.

Jumpstart Semi-Independent Living Program for Boys is a program designed to help youth jumpstart their lives. Located in bustling and artistic Hyattsville, Maryland, this historic home provides a structured, rigorous, and goal-oriented program for young men ready to embark as independent, mature community members. The program is structured around giving young men the freedom to make positive and sound choices, develop a sense of responsibility, and take control of their lives. With professional staff providing 24-hour supervision and behavioral role modeling, this program provides the consistency and continuity that allows our young men to develop skills necessary to become productive, responsible, and engaged community members.

Jumpstart group home offers support for up to eight adolescent males between the ages of 17 and 20 years old from all parts of Maryland. Individuals typically reside in the home for nine to twelve months, and up to two years. Jumpstart provides the following benefits:

• Individual, family, and group therapy targeted to building a strong personal identity, pride, self-esteem and confidence
• Employability development and placement with potential career development
• Educational advocacy and support
• Case management, referral and coordination for health services, substance abuse treatment, family therapy, and additional necessary services
• Recreation and constructive use of leisure time
• Life skills training to support self-sufficiency

From the moment a new resident arrives, staff at Jumpstart work to get them into school or a job and help the residents find their voices. Jumpstart staff explain that the young men need to learn that they have a choice every day to invest in themselves, and that staff at Jumpstart are listening.

While the youth are discovering their voices and developing their sense of responsibility, the Program staff have observed that the young men also need inspiration to get out of the house. “The time spent in detention teaches the boys to stay inside, we want to get them out and reconnected with the community.”

Group activities, like basketball games, are a great way for the youth to get to know each other and develop a sense of community. When the group plays basketball together, they are having fun, seeing the program staff like family members, and respecting each other.

Another group activity that the young men love is cooking. Most of the residents who come to the home say that they do not know how to cook. The boys tend to trail behind Mike when he goes into the kitchen. When he starts cooking, the boys start asking questions. He casually explains what he’s doing and asks for their help getting some spices or rinsing the meat, walking them through his recipe. Often he makes it a comical experience, pretending they are putting on a cooking show, so the youth enjoy it and get engaged.

Usually the young men at Jumpstart are employed or in school, or both, within a month of entering the program. Throughout their time at Jumpstart, staff give the young men positive reinforcement and recognize their talents, to help the youth realize what they bring to the table and the possibilities that are available to them.

“All the kids want is for you to spend some time with them. When they act out they just want someone to listen and engage with them. Sometimes the boys run away from the family environment staff creates at Jumpstart because they are not used to it. They self-sabotage because they are afraid of recognizing that someone cares.”

Nevertheless, the Jumpstart program staff are dedicated every day to helping the young men realize they have a voice, they are respected, they are heard, and they are supported. The goal of the program is for each young man to achieve success, change, and confidence and leave the program as independent, productive young adults.

Today is the 98th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s death in 1913. The date was designated as national Harriet Tubman Day in 1990.

As for many, Harriet Tubman is an inspiration for everyone at Hearts & Homes. In her memory, we opened the Harriet Tubman Emergency Shelter in a targeted attempt to reduce the number of African-American young men being incarcerated in a lock-up, lock-down, detention center (juvenile jail) when they pose no serious threat to the community while awaiting a court hearing.

The youth that are placed at the Harriet Tubman shelter are referred to us by the Department of Juvenile Services. Hundreds of young men from across the state, amounting to thousands of days, have stayed at our shelter where they have received residential and supportive services.

Consistently, after being placed in our care, most of the young men went home or to a community based program or facility like the group homes we operate. It is clear everyday that believing in these young men, giving them the tools create opportunities for themselves, and supporting them in a home-like environment rather than locking them up, helps them get themselves back on the right track.

We call the shelter our “Over Ground Railroad to Freedom,” even Justice.

Ours is a living tribute to Harriet Tubman’s legacy as we celebrate now and for years to come, her courage and self-sacrifice, which led thousands to freedom. Ours is to lead thousands of youth to the freedom perhaps otherwise denied to them; to learn, to grow, to mature, and to become responsible adult citizens of the community. Ours is to provide a safe, secure, and disciplined shelter home; an opportunity to realize their potential and dreams. Ours is to purposefully interrupt the first stop on the train to criminalization – incarceration prior to juvenile court hearings of those who are not a threat to the community. Ours is to put them on a train to a bright, productive future. Yours is to help us keep that train on the right track. Bless you, Rex Smith