Page 13 - The Privilege of Caring

Building A New Emergency Shelter For Children Moving day at the old Lakeside Home In 1949 after many reports had been issued arguing for for the the merger of Children’s Friend Society Society and and and Rhode Rhode Island Island Society Society for for the the Prevention of Cruelty to to Children Children Children by this time known as Rhode Rhode Island Island Child Child Child Child Service the agencies merged into a a a a a a a new organization called Children’s Friend & Service The Lakeside property which housed children as as an an emergency shelter was in in in in poor condition and and within a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a few years the buildings failed inspections by fire and and health agencies In November 1953 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a capital campaign was organized to to to raise $349 500 to to to construct a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a state-of-the-art one story building that could accommodate modern social work practice A little over a a a a a a a a a a a year after the the the campaign was was announced the the the new Lakeside Home was was dedicated on February 28 1955 Twenty-eight children the the the superintendent eight housemothers and one cook occupied the the new building constructed adjacent to old facilities In May 1955 as children children and and staff staff left the the the old Lakeside building an an an article in in the the the the the the Providence Journal reported: “They [the children children and and staff] were evacuated lest the the the the the the the the roof collapse the the the the the the the the boiler blow up or or or or the the the the the the the the stove expire in in in in the the the the the the the two story wreck of of of a a a a a a a a a building before the the the the the the the winter’s end ” In 1969 the the the the the the the Home Home was transformed into a a a a a a a a facility to to to serve the the the the the needs of of emotionally disturbed youth and in in in 1981 Children’s Friend closed the the the Lakeside Home Home Lack of funding from from the the the state a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a move away from from residential treatment and and the the the the the increased reliance upon agency capital funds and and endowments to to support the the the the the expenses of of operating the the the the the Home all contributed to to the the the the the end end of of the the the agency’s work in in in institutional care 12
The new Lakeside Home