Erin's House provides support services for children, teens and their families, who have suffered the death of a loved one.
Erin's House for Grieving Children offers our community grief support and education related to such services in the following ways:
- Bimonthly, on-site peer support Program Nights
- In-school peer support programs
- Crisis Response Teams for schools and other community organizations
- Camp Good Grief—overnight weekend camp for 8 to 13 year olds
- Teen Retreat- overnight retreat for 14 to 19 year olds
- Telephone support for grieving families, friends and members of the community
- Books and activity booklets to assist in the grieving process
- Community presentations to build awareness of the way children grieve and how best to support them
The cost-free programs provided by Erin's House help to reach those children/families in need of grief support. Since opening in October 1993, Erin's House has served more than 10,000 individuals. Erin's House now serves an average of 1,000 individuals each year.
Why Erin's House is Important
Healthy grieving is not just important for the bereaved; it is important for the entire community. Research has shown that unresolved grief and the inability of a young person to cope with the death of a loved one plays a significant role in poor school performance, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, anxiety and an increased risk of suicide.