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"I'm here to help and to find an holistic solution for graduates of residential care frameworks who do not have a family ..." said MK and the Deputy Minister for Young Mrs. Gila Gamliel during her visit in Ness Ziona Children's Village, at the end of October 2011.
In this visit participated official representatives of the municipality, Hamifal's senior's management, and professional staff from her office
In her visit, she met with children and youth, spoke with them, and tried to comprehend in depth the problems we have presented.
"We are here to make a difference, to deal with the problem by creating a model that will give a proper solution for homeless graduates of residential care frameworks" said MK Gila Gamliel. "The advantage of being subjected to the Prime Minister Office, is the fact that we can demand that representatives of all ministries will deal with this issue and address it in different angles: housing (M. Housing), welfare, education, and security (IDF)"
Mr. Yossi Goshen the general manager of Hamifal" best described the problem by giving examples of our graduates... "The problem does not begin in the army, but immediately upon finishing the high school. It should be understood that sometimes they have to wait for 6 months and more till the IDF enlists them during this time they have nowhere to return to no home no place ... they of course remain with us, but we must create a formal setup."…. "Moreover, when they enlist to the army, sometimes it takes three months and more until the IDF recognizes them as "Lonely soldiers",... but there should be a different definition for our graduates and it should be "Homeless soldiers" . "Lonely soldier" is for youth who join the IDF while their families usually are overseas. They still have their family financial backing, and sometimes they will have in Israel family members of their extended family (uncles, grandparents etc…) to whom they can turn to. Our graduates are not "lonely soldiers" but "homeless soldiers" They have nowhere to go and have no financial backing. They are not "single" in the narrow sense of the word, so I think there must be given a different solution for them before their enlistment as soon as they graduate.
For us, of course, the preferred solution is the establishment of a "Soldiers' Home" in each of our Children's Villages. The staff knows the graduates and they feel that the Village is their natural home by all means. …But we have to fund the costs associated with it, not just the construction of the building, but allocating budget for hiring a supportive team including a social worker, household mother, and counselor that will accompany, guide and advise them especially in time of transitions and changes "
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