Casa Famiglia (CF) is a small family for people with mental disabilities. Its aims are to further develop and attain Fu Hong Society's Mission, in particular to help people with mental disabilities integrate into the community and to educate the public to hold a positive attitude towards them. Each Casa Famiglia has 6-8 people with mental disabilities. They go out to their working or training places during the day and return to "Encounter", "Concordia", "Radiance" and "Splendor" in the evening. The casa Famiglia family units provide them with a homely living environment where they can enjoy a harmonious family life.

Casa Famiglia is a mission advocated through its members. Although family members do not share the same kinship and have different abilities, their life is enriched through mutual support and tolerance.

Casa Famiglia is a non-subvented project of Fu Hong Society. They are located in residential flats of the community and are in no ways different from ordinary families. They consist of house mother(s), brothers (who are volunteers from the community) and people with mental disabilities. The number of male and female members with mental disabilities is more or less the same. In daytime, they will either go out to work or receive training in rehabilitation centres. At night, they will return to the families. They will also conduct spiritual practice.

Family members of "Casa-famiglia" accept and care for each other. Under spiritual and faithful love, they build a family to share part of their lives in a spirit of welcome and simplicity. Can you help with this meaningful project?

Service Objectives

• to give people with mental disabilities a home with real neighbors with whom they have to share communal facilities, and to create in them a true sense of belonging towards the larger community family
• to provide community members the chance to participate in the family life of the home so they may learn to appreciate the inherent values and dignity of people with mental disabilities. Both the people with and without disabilities may grow in spirit and in humanity

Scope of Service

• to provide a real home and a family for people with mental disabilities
• to provide opportunities for volunteer service. As an individual and in a group, volunteers are an integral part of the families. They accompany and help take care of the members with mental disabilities and learn to appropriate their gifts and to link them up with the community at large

Application Criteria

• adults with mental disabilities of FHS service units
• aged 15 or above
• working in workshop, engaged in open employment or receiving training at day activity centre during the daytime
• have basic self-care ability (with the ability to communicate and do not require intensive care. People with both mental disabilities and physical disabilities will also be considered.)
• physically and mentally suitable for family life
• physically healthy with no active infectious diseases
• no severe aggressive behavior endangering self or others

Application Procedure

Casa Famiglia accepts transfers from Fu Hong Society, the Social Welfare Department and other institutions. Individual applications would also be accepted.

Those who wish to apply may contact our us at:
Tel: 2745 0424
Fax: 2786 4097
E-mail: cf@fuhong.org

Fee

Note 1: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is the principle donor to the operation cost of Casa-Famiglia.

Ways to support

As "Casa Famiglia" is not sponsored by the Government, its recurrent expenditure is mainly sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Yet we still need your support to continue this worthwhile cause. Please help people with mental disabilities lead independent and rewarding lives, donate to this meaningful program.

We welcome you to join us as volunteers for a month, three months, six months, a year or even more.

You can visit Encounter, Concordia, Radiance or Splendor to know more about Casa Famiglia. You may have great interested when you contact people with mental disabilities, and assist them to go outing and other activities. We also hope that interested people or party can sponsor their living expenditure.

Acknowledgement: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust