Many families live in severe hardship. Their parents are alcoholics, in prison, addicted to drugs, or engaged in sex work. Some struggle with grave illness or lack the capacity to raise their children. These crises do not end with the parents—they devastate their children completely. The real victims are the kids. And whatever support is found, victims they remain.
Yet it heartens you to meet people wholly devoted to these children, to see places far removed from the old orphanages—ordinary-looking houses and cottages where boys and girls can feel welcomed, loved, and breathe the air of home.
One such group home is called Il Tetto, on Lungotevere Dante, and it stands among Rome's oldest. Born in 1953 on vast land donated by the noted developer Anzalone, it has sheltered dozens of at-risk children. For the boys from sixty years ago who still gather on Sundays with their own families, there remains a small cottage called the chalet. It is moving to see how the commitment of sixty years ago to these "defeated" children transformed them into "winners"—to see them now with their families, at peace.
Il Tetto, as it stands today, reopened its doors about a year ago after a fifteen-month closure. It welcomes a maximum of six children, ages six to twelve.
"Right now we have eight," Daniele tells us—one of the live-in educators responsible for the house. "We took in two emergency requests for a short stay. I know we shouldn't be at eight, but what do you do? Say no? We didn't have the heart to refuse them, especially because it would have put the municipal office in a tight spot. We work closely with them. It's the municipal offices, through their social workers, who refer the children who need shelter."
Until a year ago, Daniele ran the project as a volunteer alongside three other professionals—sociologists, educators. Il Tetto has evolved. It has moved away from simple volunteerism, though volunteers still play a vital role. Now they follow a structured program staffed by specialists in the field. For this reason, they take mainly younger children, not adolescents—the realities and needs are very different, and mixing them doesn't work.
Volunteers support the staff, help children with homework, spend free time with them, and handle some transportation.
Daniele stresses the importance of consistency. Too many rotating staff create confusion in daily life. Normally, when a child doesn't get what he wants from his mother, he'll try his father, counting on his gentleness—or his fatigue. In a group home with many children and many adults on rotating shifts, you need few enough responsible adults to maintain order. And you must keep a daily log, always updated. That way you can easily see what approach was taken for a given situation and what path to follow next.
Every week the staff meets to discuss the children's progress. The educators and operators who live in the home are regularly supervised by psychotherapists, so they can maintain their own inner peace when managing difficult, deeply involving cases.
There is close collaboration with an international organization that sends young people every six months to do civil service work at the house.
Daily life at Il Tetto is organized to resemble family life as closely as possible. The furnishings are simple and homey. The kitchen is not a large institutional cafeteria but a warm, medium-to-large cooking space where they prepare meals for an average of fifteen people. Weekends bring even more residents, because parents often visit their children. These visits matter enormously, Daniele says. The staff consults with parents about their children's progress, asks for advice, and works together with social workers to plan any changes that might make it possible for children to return to their families. With ample grounds, a beautiful garden, and fields around it, Il Tetto is ideal for gatherings, celebrations, and barbecues. Sometimes classmates and other outside friends find it a wonderful place to play and gather. The home has slowly become known in the neighborhood; close friendships have formed with various local families and school families.
For Daniele, a group home should serve as a "bridge." Stays should not last more than two or three years. During that time, each child receives an individual plan covering rules to follow, self-care, and—when possible—work with the entire family. Children do not return home on weekends because this undermines the progress made during the week. Parents who visit on weekends still play an active role: they cook for their children, join meetings, and consult with the educators and social workers.
Huberta Pott, 2008