Since 1846, Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (VHBG) has been dedicated to responding to the unique and ever-changing needs of youth and families in crisis. VHBG has continued to grow and evolve over the years as the needs of our community changed. When the practice of placing young people in orphanages declined and the foster care and adoption systems grew, many youth who had experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, or some other sort of crisis were left needing more options. VHBG filled this need by providing transitional living programs. At VHBG, the concept of ‘transition’ in our environment implies a temporary, gradual, and deliberate teaching process of moving forward toward permanency
Our group homes are for youth (ages 11-17) who need time to transition to their next best level of care. In 2018, VHBG opened existing townhouses on campus to young people (ages 17-21) who are aging out of the foster care system (connected to VDSS) and want to learn how to live independently. This led to an expansion of our independent living services in 2020 to young people who are not connected to VDSS (ages 18-25) but are facing homelessness due to a variety of challenges and includes an affinity group for young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ called Pride Place at VHBG. This short-term temporary housing helps these young people transition to a new, permanent home.
Even in our specialized K-12 education program (John G. Wood School) students are working toward transitioning back to public school if possible. The concept of ‘transition’ in our environment implies a temporary, gradual, and deliberate teaching process of moving forward toward permanency.
VHBG’s 30+ acre campus in Henrico, County, VA includes eight homes, four townhomes, an elementary school, a middle/high school, a therapeutic resource center, an Independent Living Commons, a full-size gym, a dining hall with commercial kitchen, a fellowship hall, outdoor pool, cookout shelter, playing fields, and an administrative building.
For more information on Group Care Services for youth ages 11-17, click here.
For more information on Independent Living for young people ages 17-21, click here.
For more information on Pride Place for young adults ages 18-25, click here.