Our History

Christ Child House (CCH), under the stewardship of the Christ Child Society of Detroit, benefits from the expertise of an Advisory Council comprising numerous distinguished metro-Detroit business and community leaders. Each member brings a wealth of experience and a steadfast commitment to safeguarding children.

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CCH holds accreditation from the Council on Accreditation  (COA), is a valued member of the Michigan Federation for Children and Families (MIFED), and is esteemed as a preferred placement center by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

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Operating under licensing and contractual agreements with the State of Michigan, Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing, CCH extends its services to boys of diverse racial, creedal, and national backgrounds.

Established by the Detroit Chapter of the Christ Child Society, a nonprofit organization of volunteers dedicated to aiding youth across Michigan for over a century, Christ Child House began its journey in 1948. Recognizing the urgent need for temporary emergency housing for children facing familial crises due to factors such as parental unemployment or severe illness, the Society acquired a property on Pallister Avenue in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. This facility, adorned and furnished, could accommodate up to eleven children at a time.

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As time progressed, it became evident that the original House, burdened with overcrowding and continual maintenance needs, could no longer adequately serve the children in need. In response, in 1957, the Society procured two acres of land on Joy Road, west of Greenfield, from the Ford Motor Company and the Henry Ford family for a nominal fee of $1. The colonial farmhouse on this site, now known as Christ Child House, welcomed its first 18 children in May 1958.

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Since then, the House has undergone significant physical expansions. However, the most profound transformation lies in the demographic of the boys it serves. The notion of a "home in crisis" has evolved dramatically since the program's inception.

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The young men who find refuge at CCH have endured unimaginable hardships. Many have experienced multiple failures in foster home placements, grappling with learning disabilities, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, and enduring effects of post-traumatic stress.

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While some children have successfully reunited with their families following intensive individual and family therapy, an increasing number face insurmountable challenges in their familial environments. In such cases, CCH endeavors to secure forever families for these children, fostering strong, loving bonds that endure.

 

Today, Christ Child House stands as Detroit's preeminent trauma-informed residential treatment center, committed to adapting to the evolving needs of the community it serves. Nonetheless, it remains a sanctuary of healing and renewal, offering hope for a brighter future to those in its care.