There is no one way to run a group home for teens, so each home has its own way of managing residents. Some group homes are composed of families who volunteer to take on a few wayward youths, while others are large facilities with 10 to 20 residents and have cooks, psychologists and social workers on site. Different group homes will offer different services, so each one should be carefully researched before teens are sent to live there.
Exposure to Crime
Many of the residents of a teen group home are there because of bad behavior or criminal activity. Parents who cannot handle their teens may abandon them to the group home system, and orphaned teens may spend time in group homes in between stints in juvenile detention. Because of this, each resident in a group home has an opportunity to meet other teens who could be bad or dangerous influences and inspire more criminal behavior.
Quality of Life
In order to succeed, teens need plenty of one-on-one attention and the enthusiasm and support of parents, educators and friends. It can be difficult for the staff of a group home to give every resident the individual attention needed to succeed at school and at life. Homes with low budgets and overcrowding may be forced to make residents share rooms and supplies and are not able to provide as high a quality of life as a single-family home.
On-Site Therapy
Some teenagers who end up in group homes go there as a result of violent home lives or abandonment. These types of problems can have long-lasting effects on the lives of children. Many large group homes have on-site employees who are specially trained in working with children from abusive or dangerous environments. This type of attention can go a long way towards healing emotional wounds opened in children's former living situations.
Opportunity
When placed in a group home, a teenager's world will change completely. He will be exposed to new friends, new educators and new experiences. With these new contacts come a mountain of new opportunities. Children in group homes may have access to resources they did not have in their original homes, like high-speed Internet or libraries. They can often take advantage of tutor visits and may even be eligible to attend different schools.
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