St. Joseph Orphanage

I would agree that from what I have observed while visiting that this agency has a lot of people that want to do great things to help the kids but it also has a lot of people that don't want to do anything to help the kids. You can look around and immediately tell who those people are just on how you see the kids interact with them. You can also tell that upper management doesn't care about it's successful employees when you can watch them walk right past them in the hallway and snub nose them or say a superficial hello. The big problems that I see are not the people working directly with the kids, but the people sitting in their offices calling shots they have no experience with and making the lives of their employees miserable and the kids too. It's not a nice play to visit! more

I have an insight to the daily operations of the facility and the treatment of the clients. Due to understaffing, the facility is unable to implement the programs and treatment appropriately, at times risking the well being of clients. it is one of few seeking to serve an under-served population. However, it could be attempting to survive rather than thrive in that it makes fiscally driven decisions at times, creating situations in which what is good for the financial welfare of the facility sacrifices what is good for the client. It is a well intentioned facility with inconsistent treatment implementation. more

The only thing the previous reviewer got right was there isn't enough funding... St. Joe's has a lot of great programs for kids from broken & abusive homes. They DO have Nintendo games - I personally have raised money at my workplace to donate various video games, board games, etc. They have a pool table, air hockey, indoor basketball pop-a-shot game... And when we raise money for the kids Christmas wish lists, yes some kids ask for clothes, coats, socks, shoes... because more people need to GIVE rather than bashing a place that is working to improve children's lives. The kids are not treated like prisoners. Yes, the teachers and social workers seem strict but that's because most of the children have various behavioral and psychological issues - if you give an inch, they'll take a mile. Things can get out of hand very quickly and the kids reactions are often different than you might be used to. Very few children actually live at the Orphanage - those that do are limited to 30 days at a time and are being treated for severe mental issues. The rest of the kids being helped by this wonderful establishment are there to attend school or after school programs. Maybe people should first seek to understand... and then try to become part of the solution rather than making rash judgements. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. more

This horrifying place reminds me of something out of a Dickens novel! There seems to be no funding for new paint of furniture. I didn't see any Nintendo games or even a ping pong table. The children were wearing clothing that was is ratty and torn. Pros: Foster parents can dump problem children here. Cons: It's the worst place I've ever seen outside of the slums of Peru! more