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James House was established in 1986 as a home for abused, abandoned or neglected children from the Hout Bay community.
Once upon a time, there was a child who lived in Hout Bay. He needed a place to stay; a place where he would receive love, care and support; a place that could provide him with basic needs such as safety, shelter, food, clothing and education. He needed a healthy, nurturing environment that would help him flourish, and would oversee his development from a child into a man.
His name was James. The year was 1986. And there were many other children like him.
Volunteers at a local church-run soup kitchen came to hear of the plight of these children. They decided to set up the James House children’s home, named after the first child they took into their care. In a short space of time, a simple prefab building became a loving, nurturing home for 20 vulnerable children.
Once upon a time, there was a man named Nelson Mandela. He became President of South Africa. It was a time of change. He looked at the plight of children, and advised that, wherever possible, the child should remain in his/her home of origin. His view (and an idea that was gaining increasing support in the child care sector) was that it was better to build the capabilities of the family and the community – equipping them with the skills and resources to look after their own – than to take children away from their homes.
James House accepted this challenge and, guided by the transformation of the child and youth care Sector, embarked on a process of developing effective services for children in the context of their families and the communities in which they live. The overall aim – to ensure families and communities had the capacity, capabilities and support to care for their children.
Over time, we have also developed programmes and capacities in keeping with broader imperatives within the community we serve – in particular, the impact of HIV/AIDS, the very rapid growth of Imizamo Yethu, an informal settlement community that is home to between 20 000 and 30 000 people, and youth unemployment.
James House has evolved from being a children’s home housed in a simple prefab building, to being a fully fledged Child and Youth Care Centre serving well over 700 vulnerable children, young people, and their families every year.
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