No, it is not an orphanage. A majority of the children who come to SHELTER have been admitted by one parent or a guardian who has felt that the child is in need of protection and has given permission to SHELTER to undertake that responsibility.
The children - or teenagers as the case may be - are usually referred to SHELTER by the Welfare Department, hospitals, organisations or concerned individuals or relatives.
You can call SHELTER at 603-7955 0663 for advice during office hours, from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except weekends and Public Holidays). You may also drop us an email to office@shelterhome.org or TEXT us via Whatsapp at +6011-2611 0663 and we will respond to you.
The ages of the children and young people with us range from 4 to 18 years old.
We will arrange for scholarship/sponsorship for courses in universities/colleges if they are academically inclined. For those not so academically inclined, we will arrange for vocational training courses. We will also help them to find jobs if they choose not to pursue their studies. (We don't abandon them.) We will take care of them until they feel ready to be on their own.
All the children go to nearby schools. Some of the older ones had stopped schooling as a result of their disruptive experiences: We will arrange and send them to other institutions like home schooling, colleges that will teach them vocational skills, computer lessons or any area that they are capable of learning.
Please email your request to us at office@shelterhome.org or call us at +603-7955 0663 during office hours, from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except weekends and Public Holidays).
We have set a maximum of 20 residents in each home. Rather than cramming each home with residents, we believe it is essential to maintain a good staff-resident ratio to increase the quality of care in our homes in recognition of the fact that these children need special care, observation and attention.
Children up to 12 years old live in a co-educational situation. Young people from 13 years old onwards live in 'boys-only' and 'girls-only' homes. Each home is headed by a Home Manager (similar to the head of the house, like a parent).
We do not charge for any of our services or homes. However, if the guardians are able or wish to pay, they can give a regular donation.
Indeed, it is quite a challenge. Our operating costs can come up close to RM150,000 a month as we provide for the children in the three homes. In addition, we also provide various services through our Community & Family Services.
We receive a small grant from the Government. Another source is fund-raising charity initiatives. However, the bulk of our funds come from donations from the public. That is, from YOU. Thank you very much for your support! All donations to SHELTER are tax-exempt.
SHELTER's work is overseen by a Board of Directors comprising of personnel from different professions. Our funds are duly audited by Horwath International.
Are your staff salaried or voluntary?
We have about 26 salaried staff for the homes and the services. We also have a pool of volunteers who help us regularly such as giving tuition and teaching skills. We are very grateful for these volunteers.
Yes, it does. It is our aim to be accountable and transparent. In the year 2004, we were the Malaysian winner of the inaugural "2004 Asia Pacific NGO Awards" which attests to our good practices.
No, we are not backed by a patron nor are we affiliated to an overseas organization. We have a high profile in the press because SHELTER is well established. We are grateful to the support of the press.
We are certainly not rich. The public are our chief source of funds and we do not charge for the homes and services we provide.
You can donate in cash or in kind. Of course, cash would be more helpful as we can channel it to our urgent areas of need.
We have a daily Need List which you can check here or you could call our office at 603-7955 0663 during office hours from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except weekends and Public Holidays) or TEXT us via Whatsapp to +6011-2611 0663 to enquire. The Need List covers urgent items needed to run the three homes and the various services.
We also take in old clothes and furniture for our community services, but we should stress that SHELTER should not be a dumping ground for all old items which do not serve any purpose.
The clothes can be sent to Shelter 1, which is in Petaling Jaya. It would be helpful if you could personally send furniture to Shelter 1. Please call 603-7955 0663 during office hours, from 8.30am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays (except weekends and Public Holidays) or TEXT us via Whatsapp +6011-2611 0663 to enquire.
