About the project
Beit Ari’el Hostel for Girls in Distress was established by the municipality in 1975 to care for troubled teenage girls in an intimate, non-institutional setting. The original facility, the first of its kind in Israel, provided housing, counseling and other support services to 10-12 girls at a time aged 14-18 who had run away from home, had been victims of family violence or were in other severe situations. The Jerusalem Foundation supported initial research of the problem of girls in distress in Jerusalem, then supported building renovations and the purchase of furnishings for the original hostel, a 6-room apartment on Ari’el Street in Romema. It continued to support programs at the hostel following its relocation to the Baka neighborhood in 1984 and its subsequent operation by the Elem organization.
