“Sometimes I get a call in the middle of the night from an unidentified number from
someone who saw us on the Internet. Even if there’s no room in the apartment, it’s
clear to me that I have to help her. Because what can you say – ‘Sorry, you’ll have to
continue sleeping on the park bench’? I don’t have the heart to do that.”
I want to be the girls’ “first stop,” not the last stop – because afterwards, it becomes a
lot harder to rehabilitate. It’s not the same thing if someone comes to me after two
years on the street or after a half year. It means a lot more time and effort will be
needed to get her to trust the world and take positive responsibility again, and that’s
a real shame,” she says in a pained voice.
In 2017, we had a girl here that I’ll never forget.
Her name was Neta (fictitious name) and she came to us at age 19, after running
away from home at age 17. She never finished twelfth grade and wasn’t accepted
into the army or the National Service, nor was there anyone to push her into it.
Instead, she spent ages 18-19 in other people’s homes. She roamed all over the
country in the most horrific places…
She came to me totally lost. I literally didn’t know where to start. We arranged
intensive therapy for her. Six months later, she started getting back to herself,
showing more vitality and the desire to resume a normal routine. We found work for
her in a clothing shop here in the neighborhood and we wanted to continue the
process and help her finish up her Bagrut exams – but her year here in the place had
already come to an end. We were compelled to escort her just from afar, and that’s a
lot harder.
In contrast, there was Noa (fictitious name), who came to us just a month after
leaving home. She didn’t need so much rehab, and three months later, she left the
place after getting a job that enabled her to move to a different city in the center of
the country.”
