Mission Statement

Yaffa House is a Jewish group home and center for adults with mental illness, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The uniqueness of Yaffa House in British Columbia is that it provides care, opportunity, and support within the context of Jewish values and practice. The intent of the Society is to maximize the individual potential, growth, personal fulfillment, and independence of its residents, as well as provide a centre within the Jewish community for mental health education, recreation, and support.

YAFFA HOUSING GOALS

– Create a sense of security, acceptance and belonging through compliance with Jewish dietary laws, religious observances and collective celebration of the Jewish customs, lifestyle and traditions

– Help residents improve and maintain their mental and physical health.

– Assist residents in developing and using effective coping and community living skills.

– Foster personal growth and goals achievement in an environment of mutual respect, acceptance and understanding.

– Promote residents’ self-confidence in personal strengths and abilities.

Don’t Turn Your Back

Don’t turn your back on my son
Just because he does not fit into your world
His torment is real
And he would change it if he could.

His illness is not something you can see
But is real, all too real, nonetheless
And the boy we know is lost to us
Like a missing child the pain never dies
But haunts us with hopes that someday
We will find him again.

He struggles daily with an illness,
It is not a terminal illness
but a life sentence
He has no place of refuge
To escape his own mind.

I can’t desert him. He is my son,
And he is the same son that held
My hand when we laughed and ran
Through the flowers,
In the meadow at his grandmother’s farm.

My son’s suffering and his mother’s
Tears have given me the courage
To ask you to listen and learn.
If you take the time to understand
You can make his world a less
Painful place

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