Abused and Disabled Find a Home

The house looks like any other on the quiet residential street in Anaheim. But inside, things are very different. For the children living there, it’s a house of healing.

The newly opened Samadana Home is the first group home in the state dedicated to the care of disabled children who have been sexually or physically abused, a Samadana official said.

Founded by psychologist James Colbert, Samadana Home is a place where disabled children can live in a family-like atmosphere while receiving treatment for the emotional wounds of abuse.

“There are already programs for children who are developmentally disabled, but this is the first one in the state to focus on abused disabled children of normal intelligence,” Colbert said.

Colbert said he decided to establish a group home after a colleague told him about a child with polio who had been abused.

“I wasn’t aware this population was out there,” he said. “Here was a child who needed special attention and there wasn’t any place for her to go. You can place a disabled child in any home but that doesn’t mean it’s designed for that child.”

Colbert set out to create a program that addresses the emotional trauma of abuse as well as the physical disability of the child. He said he wanted a complete treatment center that has as much of a family atmosphere as could be created.

Colbert purchased the four-bedroom house a couple of years ago. After receiving a loan from the Housing and Urban Development Department, Colbert started looking for a contractor to remodel the house for wheelchair accessibility . He didn’t have to look far. After contacting a construction firm, an army of about 100 contractors volunteered their time. In August, six months after the work started, the house was ready for occupancy.

The house can accommodate six children. The first child arrived in September, a teen-age boy with a muscular disorder that leaves groups of muscles unusable. Another boy has such severe asthma that he needs machines to assist his breathing during the night. Currently, they are the only two children at Samadana Home, but a third is expected soon.

“We’ll be full within a few months and will probably end up with a waiting list,” Colbert said. “Something people don’t realize is abuse of disabled children is seven times higher than that of the generic population. The reason it’s so high is because of the vulnerability of a disabled child. All children are vulnerable, but a disabled child especially so.”

The treatment program’s goal is to help each child build self-esteem and get them back to their families or into another family environment. There will be three group therapy sessions per week, including sessions with the child’s family when possible.

“We want to reunite the children with their natural family whenever possible,” Colbert said. “If the abuse problem is addressed and eliminated, it’s emotionally healthier for the child to be with their own family.”

If it’s not possible for the child to return to his or her family, he or she will be placed with a foster family trained in the special needs of that child. Colbert said a child’s stay at Samadana Home will last from about six months to a year.

Child service agencies in the county are ready to refer children to Samadana Home.

“There is definitely a need for this kind of facility,” said Gene Howard, director of children services for Orange County. “It can be hard to place disabled children, and disabled children with emotional problems makes it even more difficult.”

According to Howard there are 3,000 children in out-of-home care or in foster-care facilities at any given time in the county.

“Compared to that, this population is not large,” Howard said. “But when you need a facility like this, you really need one; six beds is a significant step.”