The Foundling's Agency Operated Boarding Homes (AOBH) are community-based residences for children, teens and young adults who require more intensive social and medical services than traditional or therapeutic foster care settings provide. The Foundling has AOBHs in Manhattan and Queens, where round-the-clock staff lives with the youth and support them in:
- Developing socialization skills
- Nurturing peer relationships
- Learning self-responsibility

The Foundling manages specialized Mother/Child AOBH residences in the Bronx. With the support of nurturing staff, young mothers pursue educational and personal goals while learning how to care for their infants and toddlers, all in preparation for successful, independent living.

The Foundling operates a Therapeutic Residential Center (TRC) on Staten Island, called Stephen’s House, for teenagers with severe behavioral or emotional problems.

The Foundling believes that when youth in foster care begin down a path towards self-destructive, delinquent and/or anti-social behaviors, it is imperative that we intervene in a humane manner that supports better decision-making and sets these young people on a path to success.

Our residential youth treatment program utilizes the Missouri Model, a national, evidence-based intervention with proven outcomes for supporting delinquent youth and juvenile offenders.  This cost-effective program, as the data indicate, results in long-term changes for these young people, supporting them in avoiding negative behaviors and helping them to embark on a pathway to success.

The Foundling is the first child welfare agency in the nation to utilize the Missouri Model's unique therapeutic treatment system to support youth in the foster care system.

Stephen's  House, named after firefighter Stephen Siller, who lost his life on September 11, 2001, is uniquely suited to host this program, having been designed as a facility for high-risk teenagers in the foster care system. 

To learn more about Stephen's House, click here.

To learn more about the Missouri Model, click here.

The Foundling’s Group Homes for children on Staten Island and Rockland County provide a comprehensive network of services for children and youth in a structured and nurturing community. Children may enter our group homes because of emotional disorders, behavior problems, and developmental disabilities. New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) refers children to The Foundling’s community-based group homes.

The Foundling’s specialized residential programs, staffed by skilled professionals, provide family-like settings in which children with complex needs may live and thrive.

Commerford Maternity Residence

For teenage girls with traumatic family histories, having a baby can appear to be a fairy-tale solution; the opportunity to create their own ideal family. These girls, 14 to 21 years old, invariably lack positive role models and support systems. The Foundling’s Commerford Maternity Residence helps young mothers-to-be to avoid the dysfunctional or abusive patterns of their own childhood by offering parenting training and psychological counseling. Classes are conducted with peer groups in a dormitory setting, where girls are encouraged to set realistic educational and career goals, save money, and if possible, live independently after their babies are born.

Mother Child Residences

When girls who have spent most of their lives in the foster care system find themselves mothers at a tender age, they urgently need a support system to teach them what they have never been exposed to: positive parenting. The Foundling's Mother Child programs in Manhattan and the Bronx help these mothers set and achieve educational and personal goals while teaching them to properly care for their babies. The Foundling's Mother Child DeSales Residence and AOBHs offer:
- Playgroups with infants
- Job skills training
- Parenting classes to develop childcare skills
- Counseling from child-life specialists and psychiatrists
- Help with setting and reaching educational goals
Though some are able to establish a safe home with relatives, most of these young mothers remain in the Mother Child homes with their babies until they are 21.

The Foundling’s Youth Enhancement Services (YES) supportive housing program was created to meet the needs of young adults (ages 18-26 years) who are aging out of foster care. This population is at great risk of homelessness and supportive housing programs focus on removing barriers to independent living.

Residents live in apartments in two Brooklyn neighborhoods and enjoy the comfort of a beautifully furnished apartment that they share with an apartment mate. Each resident will have his/her own bedroom while sharing the living, dining and bathroom quarters.

With the assistance of Foundling YES staff, residents will develop individual plans that will address their needs and help them set and achieve realistic goals. In order to foster a stable, supportive home environment, case managers will provide a comprehensive array of services including:
- Personal Assistance with learning daily living, financial management, and medication management skills
- Crisis Intervention
- 24/7 On Call Staffing
- Advocacy and Referrals for:
-health/medical care
-domestic violence, substance abuse counseling and treatment
-job readiness/employment services and educational/vocational training
Recognizing and building on their own strengths, residents will take advantage of educational and employment opportunities to increase their self-sufficiency. Ultimately, these young men and women will transition from the program to live independently as productive members of the community.

The Program is open to youth who have aged out of Foundling foster care programs as well as youth in the community who meet eligibility criteria for the Supportive Housing program. To apply to the Program, the youth, or someone on his/her behalf, must first submit a Supportive Housing Application online to the Human Resources Administration, who will determine eligibility.

For more information, read our comprehensive Supportive Housing brochure or call The Foundling’s Supportive Housing Program at 347-689-1037.