Evangelical Foundation Hephata
The Evangelical Foundation Hephata (from Aramaic hephatach , "Open yourself!") Is committed to the side of more than 2,600 people with disabilities with offers for living, with job offers, education and advice. Currently (as of February 2012) Hephata is active in 30 locations throughout North Rhine-Westphalia, at over 150 addresses, to enable people with disabilities to lead a self-determined life.
history
Hephata was founded in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt in Mönchengladbach-Rheydt by the parish priest Franz Balke (1822–1889) as the first institution for people with intellectual disabilities in the entire Kingdom of Prussia at that time . He wanted to teach the children and young people with disabilities, who were then regarded as “uneducable”, and to promote their talents. Soon facilities based on this model were also opened in other parts of Prussia. In 1937, the Düsseltaler Anstalten transferred the Benninghof near Mettmann, which at the time had 250 living spaces and 100 hectares of usable space, to Hephata.
During the Second World War, people with disabilities were threatened by the National Socialist regime. Countless numbers were killed in the course of the euthanasia campaign . The then head of the Evangelical Foundation Hephata, Hans Helmich, after whom a special school Hephatas is named today, could not prevent the residents of Hephatas from being "relocated". However, he made sure that 250 residents were allowed to stay in their homes. Of the 549 people with disabilities who had to vacate their homes in Hephata for military reasons, at least 180 were killed by the Nazi regime.
After the war, the bombed Mönchengladbach foundation core site had to be rebuilt. In 1975 the first workshop for disabled people was opened on the core area, which created 270 jobs for people with disabilities. In 1995, Hephata began decentralizing its dormitories and also built and moved into other locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. This made it possible for many people with intellectual disabilities to live in their hometown.
philosophy
The Evangelical Hephata Foundation has a model according to which it aligns its work. One of the guiding principles is: "Open yourself to life", which is already anchored in the name "Hephata". Hephata (also: Effata ) goes back to an Aramaic word and means open up . According to ( Mk 7.34 LUT ) Jesus said this word to a man who was deaf and dumb in order to heal him. The foundation's mandate is unlimited in time. In the future, too, Hephata will continuously stand up for acceptance, tolerance, reliability, solidarity, integration and inclusion. The guiding principles "Everyone can make a contribution" and "We respect people as the image of God" are also lived out in Hephatas' work. Inclusion is the foundation's vision. It is not people with disabilities that have to adapt, but society as a whole has to become more open to the needs of all people. In general, all of the work is geared towards enabling people with disabilities to lead a barrier-free and self-determined life. That is why the entire mission statement of the foundation is available in easy language.
Areas of responsibility
Education and work
Hephata ensures that people with disabilities also receive a good basic education and can participate in normal everyday working life. The foundation operates two special needs schools: the Hans Helmich School in Mettmann and the Karl Barthold School in Mönchengladbach. The Karl-Barthold-Schule is divided into two main areas of support: emotional and social development on the one hand and intellectual development on the other. The Hans Helmich School is a special needs school with a special focus on intellectual development.
There is also the non-profit employment and qualification company (BQG) - an integration company. The BQG enables people who are considered to be the most difficult to place due to their recognized severe disability or people who are long-term unemployed due to serious personal and social problems, a professional training and entry or re-entry into everyday work. BQG operates a transport service, several second-hand shops, a building cleaning company, a large catering area, a garden shop and the handicraft area.
The Hephata workshops were opened in 1975 to enable people with disabilities to lead an independent life. Today around 1900 people work in the various work areas. In addition to mechanical production, wood processing, assembly and electrical assembly, there is the printing shop, the lettershop, the packaging and shipping department, data archiving, the garden shops and a catering and party service.
The vocational college of the Evangelical Hephata Foundation in Mönchengladbach includes a technical school for social services specializing in curative education, a two-year vocational school in the social and health sector and the offer of a special educational additional qualification with the recognized qualification "certified specialist for work and professional development in workshops for disabled people ".
Housing and care
The Evangelical Foundation Hephata now offers places in houses and apartments at over 150 addresses in order to help as many young and old people with disabilities as possible to find a home in familiar surroundings. It is important in the work of Hephatas that people with disabilities can also live in a normal neighborhood, if possible in their own apartment. That is why Hephata offers outpatient care, where employees support people with disabilities with problems in everyday life. Today, Hephata is already starting to prepare the children in youth welfare so that they will later be able to cope with independent living. Hephata Jugendhilfe currently makes differentiated offers in the inpatient, semi-inpatient and outpatient area for over 250 children, adolescents and young adults and their families. The offers include an inpatient area structured according to age and level of development, as well as curative educational day groups, an integrative daycare center, a family center, outpatient assistance and various projects.
Legal persons
The foundation includes:
- Evangelical Foundation Hephata Wohnen non-profit GmbH, 41065 Mönchengladbach
- Evangelical Foundation Hephata Werkstätten non-profit GmbH, 41065 Mönchengladbach
- non-profit employment and qualification company Hephata mbH, 41065 Mönchengladbach
- NOAH non-profit GmbH new organization for work Hephata, 41065 Mönchengladbach
also includes:
- Karl Barthold School
- Hans Helmich School
- Hephata Vocational College