The Cleveland Christian Home was founded in 1900 when Rev. Henry Timme, a pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), took in a family of children left on his doorstep. Word soon spread that Rev. Timme's home was a safe haven for children, and other abandoned or orphaned children followed. Soon, Rev. Timme was running an orphanage from his home near Broadway & Aetna Avenues in Cleveland.
In 1905, the Home moved to the Bosworth farm on Lorain Avenue, and the orphanage expanded to care for 60 children. In 1924, with the help of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the farmhouse was replaced with a modern brick building, complete with recreation rooms and dormitories. This building, which still stands today on Lorain Avenue on Cleveland's near west side, eventually cared for 100 orphans from babies to teenagers.
By the 1960's, fewer children were orphaned, and the Home found itself instead taking care of many children who had been the victims of abuse or neglect. To better care for these children, the Home transformed its orphanage on Lorain Avenue into a residential treatment center for abused and neglected children, which it remains today.
Over the next 30 years, the Home expanded its ministry to include additional programs and services for children and families in need, including foster care, adoption, an independent living program for teens, outpatient counseling, school-based counseling for at-risk youth and family preservation and reunification services.
Although we are no longer a "home", we continue to be called the Cleveland Christian Home to honor our heritage as well as the ongoing support we receive from the Ohio Region of the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) and many individual Disciple Congregations.