Chamberlain’s Youth Services to be reborn as Rebekah Children’s Services

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Rebekah Children’s Services is in the final stages of renovating the seven-acre Chamberlain’s Youth Services property on San Benito Street in Hollister, almost two years after the Gilroy-based organization acquired it in August 2022.  

Renamed “Rebekah Children’s Services Chamberlain’s Campus,” the facility will provide transitional housing for three to six homeless families and extend a full range of family services to the area.

“We had a good relationship with Chamberlain’s when they were still active,” said Nayeli Ceja-Khaira, Rebekah community relations manager. “Now, we are taking on that legacy to honor all the amazing work done here.” 

Negotiations for Rebekah to take over the campus began shortly before Chamberlain’s ceased operations in December 2021, after serving 56 years as a shelter for youth who had experienced trauma, abuse or neglect. 

Renovations on the six campus buildings began shortly after the closure, aided by $750,000 in donated labor and materials. One building, used as an office by Chamberlain’s, proved unstable and was demolished. An adjoining area, planted with orange, apple, peach, apricot, pomegranate, lemon and cherry trees, is being restored as a garden. Two smaller buildings have been transformed into a new office space and caretaker housing.

The project centers around the three remaining buildings, constructed as group housing for at-risk youth under Chamberlain’s. Each unit has three bedrooms, a full kitchen and large living area. They have all been painted inside and out and refurbished with new high-impact flooring, new furniture, upgraded lighting and kitchen cabinets, a remodeled bathroom and new kitchen appliances. New washers, dryers and televisions were also installed and the yards have been landscaped.

“There could be a few transitional youths from our foster program in each unit,” said Ceja-Khaira, “or a couple of families who have been couch surfing, living out of their car or staying in a relative’s place. We want to ensure that we lift them out of that situation, wrap them in services and help them stabilize.”

Those accepted for the program will be given six to 12 months of housing and access to outpatient mental health support, potential job placement and financial literacy training, along with food, clothing and other housing assistance. Residents may also be eligible for support from the Housing Industry Foundation’s Emergency Housing Fund to help pay for rent once they move on to permanent housing.

Once the facility is open, a more formal administration building will be constructed to serve as a hub for 16 services already offered at the Rebekah home campus in Gilroy and at its Cambell facility. They are:

• Cal-SOAP
• Differential Response
• Family Linkage Foster Care and Adoption
• Family Resource Center 
• Family Urgent Response Services
• First 5 Kid Connection Network 
• Free Food Program
• Katie A. (Trauma-informed Mental Health)
• Kneaded Culinary Academy
• Outpatient Mental Health
• Prevention & Early Intervention
• Prevention & Education
• School-Linked Services
• Short-Term Intensive Behavior Services
• Therapeutic Behavior Services
• Wraparound Service

“We will be opening our doors to the needs of the community but not as a takeover,” Ceja-Khaira said. “Our goal is to become a safe place where anybody from any walk of life can come and get a helping hand or have somebody listen to them.”

She said Rebekah hopes to have the facility ready, including a parking structure and an event area, by the end of the year, though an opening date has yet to be scheduled.

“We have a positive outlook but things are taking a little bit longer than we hoped,” she said. “We have encountered some obstacles like tying into the septic system and finishing the grading, paving, piping and fencing, all of which take time.”

Rebekah Children’s Services was founded as an orphanage in 1897 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), an international service-oriented organization and California Rebekah, the IOOF’s women’s auxiliary. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas designated Rebekah as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year for Assembly District 29.

Rebekah Children’s Service will hold its annual The Squeeze Concert, a ticketed fundraiser, on July 20 at Leal Vineyards, 300 Maranatha Drive, Hollister. 

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