Crossroads is the only intervention program facilitating the integration into Israeli society of English-speaking teenagers. The Crossroads Center serves 30-60 teens per day, 150-200 per week, and over 700 per year.

Runaways, homeless teens, and teens on their way down gravitate toward Jerusalem’s city center. There, they find themselves alone and helpless, vulnerable to drugs, crime, violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and terrorist attacks. Some have fled abusive homes; many are unable to afford medical care, housing, and food; nearly all lack an educational framework. These youth, ranging in age from 13 to 21, are either citizens or tourists who express themselves primarily in English. For that reason, they readily connect with Crossroads staff and come to view the Crossroads Center as a second home.

Roughly half our clients are Israeli citizens, the children of English-speaking immigrants. Language barriers prevent them from accessing state-funded social services to which they are entitled. These teens seek the help of other English-speakers who understand their distress. An extremely vulnerable segment of the Israeli population, its members are not easy to reach. They are alienated by barriers of language and culture while struggling with both normal teen angst and extreme social problems.

Others of our clients come as tourists or students for the year, during which their Israel experience turns into a nightmare. They may have dropped out of a yeshiva or other educational framework, or fled an unhealthy situation in their native country. These young people usually have problems before coming to Israel, where because of their temporary status they lack access to Israeli social services.

Our clients, both male and female, span the religious and political spectrums;their problems are similarly varied. But at Crossroads, every English-speaking teenager has a home.