All He Needs is Love
December 20, 2021
As a child Abbad grew up with a very abusive father. His mother, the only supportive and dominant figure in this life, died of cancer when he was only 16.
Rehabilitation Program for Prisoners
House of Grace opened its doors as the first rehabilitation facility for prisoners in Israel. It successfully developed a recognized holistic program in order to meet the needs of prisoners while addressing larger social issues. The program aims to assist prisoners who are ready to rebuild their lives. House of Grace supports prisoners in remolding their future and creating a healthy relation towards the Israelian and Arab community. The need for proper rehabilitation has increased together with a general increase in the number of prisoners in Israel in the last decade. In Israel, as in many correctional systems, offenders belonging to ethnic minorities and especially Arabs, are imprisoned in disproportionately high numbers. The access to rehabilitation facilities is limited.
All faiths are welcome
House of Grace is a rehabilitation facility for all prisoners regardless of their religious or ethnic background. Christian, Muslim, and Druze prisoners live under the same roof. It is the only rehabilitation facility for newly Arab prisoners in Israel.
Recently and due to the political instability, governmental funding has been reduced and the rehabilitation center is threatened to be excluded from the governmental funding list, because of its politically neutral stand. Half of all expenses of the House of Grace have to funded through donations.
Out of the 10,650 incarcerated men that were located in 22 prisons around the country, Arabs account for up to 46% of these prisoners. The percentage of Arabs in Israeli society however is only 20% (Statistic of the Agency for Rehabilitation Israel).
The program is
successful
Since 1982, the House of Grace has provided a place in the rehabilitation center for over 1.000 prisoners. They were supported to facilitate their reintegration into society. The program is successful and its impact is reflected in the low recidivism rate of less than 40% of those prisoners, that have undergone our program (1 year after their completion and release from the House of Grace).
By working with prisoners, House of Grace aspires to encourage personal responsibility, enable individual transformation, and catalyze broader social change through empowerment projects that begin on the individual and communal level.
Project updates
It is not just work, it is my mission
June 8, 2021
Some of my first memories take place in the House of Grace. I was born and raised within the house. I played and grew with the many individuals that would
Mohammed and Omar
June 8, 2021
Haunted by drug addiction from a very young age, and facing the prospect of a life in institutions without seeing his young son grow up, Mohammed decided to change his
In order to create a program of rehabilitation and to ensure rehabilitees’ successful empowerment and re-absorption into society, we follow a person-centered and holistic approach, specifically seeking to provide support in five main areas:
- The nurture of supportive relationships of clients with family, fellow former prisoners, House of Grace staff, staff of the social services, etc.) as the inclusion of Family members and social service workers are important to the rehabilitation of the client.
- Foster relationships between former released prisoners and current clients of House of Grace to encourage and empower newly released.
- A comprehensive assessment of the client’s needs, especially the need for psychological help or addiction treatment, support in accessing those services, and prevention of relapse.
- Advocacy, Public Awareness-raising, education, and information on the social problems and challenges prisoners face in their efforts of rehabilitation and reintegration to foster broader social change.
- Follow-Ups with clients and the continuation of support, when clients face unexpected and difficult challenges after their stay at House of Grace.
