This past year House of Grace has helped more than 3000 family members from the local area through services such as counseling, workshops, food packages, medical aid, and the 2nd hand clothing store. In addition to providing material aid where needed, House of Grace has refocused its efforts to provide families with guidance and counseling that will help strengthen them and provide them with the tools necessary to improve their situation. One woman who receives guidance from our social worker, Tamara Shaer, is Magida (alias), a loving mother of four. Because her husband receives a minimum salary, the family finds it very difficult to survive: their home is bare, the children have almost no toys, and their refrigerator barely functions.

House of Grace has been working in the field of prisoners' rights for 30 years through its Prisoners Empowerment Project, but there is still a struggle to gain continued support from the authorities involved. Thus, Elias Sussan, the project coordinator, and Thomas Shehade, the supervisor of the hostel, have made it a priority this year to strengthen the existing relations between House of Grace and other official bodies that commonly provide services for Prisoners. One important step this year was to meet both with the Chief Rabbi in charge of prisons throughout Israel

This past year House of Grace has welcomed 13 released prisoners to live in its Prisoners Rehabilitation Hostel. This project, geared to reintegrate released prisoners into the community, continues to be successful largely because of the familial environment created by the staff. Salem (alias) is a released prisoner residing at the hostel who is no stranger to the penal system. He has been in and out of prison for well over half of his life (with the longest sentence being for over twenty years). He says, "The streets are a frightening place that took many years away from me. House of Grace made me feel like part of a family-to be a specific ‘family'-something that for me is the source of power and strength."

This year House of Grace expanded its Youth at Risk programs to address the needs of a wider age range of youth, including those aged 18+ who find it difficult to continue their education or find a job. It has also created new possibilities for students to receive tutoring lessons. The Youth Empowerment Center has been freshly renovated and updated to better serve the needs of adolescents.

The various empowerment groups continue to be life changing for many young people. Morad (alias), 15 years old, says, "There is no way I can give up coming to House of Grace because House of Grace is what lifted me up in the most difficult times."