Hillcrest Receiving Home
I recently received a request from a reader, asking for information on Hillcrest Receiving Home. If you’ve never heard of Hillcrest Receiving Home (HRH), it’s probably because you’ve never been “in the system.”
Hillcrest Receiving Home was part of the foster care system, a temporary shelter where children were placed while social workers looked for an appropriate family or group home. This emergency shelter opened in 1964 and operated for thirty years. In 1994, it was replaced by the A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center (PCC) in Kearny Mesa, which in 2001 became a group home.
There have been many critical articles about Hillcrest. Their overcrowding has been well-documented. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune:
Hillcrest Receiving Home was so tiny that the staff used to line up highchairs in the hall to feed the toddlers. Older kids would eat outside on picnic tables. In spite of lots of workers who cared about the children, it was a truly depressing place.
From another article:
Hillcrest was a Dickensian hole with windows shaded by blankets, carpeting rank with urine, and teens living in the same rooms with small children. Children sometimes slept in the hallways on cots or cribs. Originally built for 16 children a night, then remodeled to accommodate 22, Hillcrest often held 90 children.
Not everyone who went through HRH feels that their experience was bad. Ja’Nelle Earle wrote about it as her safe place:
At Hillcrest, I had been surrounded by people who had gone through the same things as me, and that made me feel safe, like I always had someone to talk to.
Records
If you stayed in Hillcrest Receiving Home and are looking for your records, you can obtain access to your educational records through the San Diego County Office of Education. For the records of your stay in HRH, contact Child Welfare Services at (858) 694-5191. It’s unclear if the earliest records have been purged, but they do have the records from 1985 forward.
Finding Old Friends
If you’d like to communicate with other people who stayed in Hillcrest Receiving Home, there’s an online alumni/support group run by “Christine” on myspace that you can join. Sometimes it helps to know others who have gone through the same things.
Some of the Hillcrest staff are now at Polinsky Children’s Center, so you may also be able to locate some of them there.
If you know a child who is being abused in San Diego County, call the San Diego County Children’s Services Hotline at (858) 560-2191 or (800) 344-2191, or call your local law enforcement agency.
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9 opinions for Hillcrest Receiving Home
Gail
Aug 20, 2007 at 9:12 am
Hi. I’m researching Hillcrest Receiving Home and found your piece. Was there something there BEFORE 1964, maybe under a different name, that served the same function. I’m searching for my half-brother [maybe sister] and someone had mentioned the possibility of this place. Problem is, adoption would have been in ‘55 or ‘56. Does anyone have any info? A number to call? thanks a lot. gail
CHRIS DUTSON
Apr 23, 2008 at 6:18 am
My siblings and I stayed at Hillcrest Receiving Home in 1962-3. Our mother was in the hospital for schizophrenia. We would love to know what laws were in effect at the time that would separate us from our father until she could go home. I wrote an essay about my stay there and have pictures of us leaving for a day to visit my mother. How can I find out what the prevailing practices were that led us to live there for a time? Thanks, Chris
Mark Korenko
Aug 17, 2008 at 11:45 am
In 1967, My 4 brothers and I stayed at the Hillcrest receiving home while our mother was in jail. My stepfather kidnapped my 2 younger brothers and took them to florida. She rented a car and drove to florida to get them back. She was unable to pay for the rental car so they put her in jail. I was 7 yrs old and remember several things about the place. I was very scared as were my brothers. We were treated very good. We had a nice bed to sleep in and the room had a beautiful view of the country side with green grass all over the place.We won toys to play with if we had enough points. My mother wrote to us and told us that everything is going to be all right. That she will come get us really soon. She eventially came and got us. I will never forget this place.
Carole A. Lane
Aug 17, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Thanks, Mark. It’s good to hear that Hillcrest provided a stable environment and good memories for what must have been a terrible time for you and your siblings.
As you can see from the previous comments, you’re not the only one whose memories are tied up with Hillcrest Receiving Home. I can only hope that families facing the same types of difficulties today find a safe and stable place to stay while the court system sorts things out for them.
Bjorn Tipling
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I stayed at Hillcrest as a child. I was there several times from 89-92. The staff were supportive I remember. My misery wasn’t their fault.
Carole A. Lane
Aug 21, 2008 at 7:10 am
Thanks, Bjorn. It’s hard to imagine the kinds of difficulties the Hillcrest children were facing. I’m sure there are even more children dealing with these things today. It sounds like Hillcrest was a special place for many, even though the press focused mainly on their overcrowding.
Gena Whitson
Oct 3, 2008 at 12:10 pm
It’s very interesting to hear how much negative press HRH received. For many who have stayed there, including myself and what I’ve read above there was a real sense of camaraderie among the kids. I was there about four times between the years 1983 to 1985. We all got along. Sometimes all beds were full, sometimes not. My longest stay was about 2.5 months and I can tell you that no one ever slept on the floor unless they were in their room and they wanted to. Occasionally, we would sneak into a friend’s room and chit chat and laugh longer than “lights out.” What was most important there was that they had a rhythm and regular schedule and every child regardless of circumstance knew what to expect and when. When you’re a child, that’s what really makes you feel safe.
But let’s move on to staff, shall we? They were never anything less than outstanding. Not even when the mess hall became a mess because my table launched a full on food fight. They really let us be kids.
And this was when I was 15 through 17.
The first time I had ever heard of this place was when I was ten. A boy in my class was absent for a few months. When he returned he told me he had been there because there were family struggles. He told me it was fun and that there were soda machines that you didn’t have to put money into. I know times have changed as have my views on soda pop, but in 1978 free soda was everything.
To me it sounds like someone was creating a negative angle in order to save money by shutting down programs. I am very grateful that HRH existed when I needed it. My life went from spiritual rags to spiritual riches because they were there to help me connect with a good family. The family and I are still in touch these days though separated by many miles.
I hope that someone who can make a difference is able to read this. I still remember names like Yolanda, Missy Gruber, Matt, Chrissy Bisignano, from all the time spent in HRH and group homes associated with it. I would gladly have these years in my life rather than what may be viewed as “the norm” from the outsider’s perspective. If these places don’t exist, how can we become a healthy society again?
Carole A. Lane
Oct 4, 2008 at 1:01 am
Thanks for sharing your memories and perspective, Gena.
Tricia Bittner
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I am a student at the University of Phoenix. I am working on a BA in physcology. I am interested in volunteer work at any level. I have a love, committment and passion for the youth. If my help is needed please contact me ASAP.
Thank you!
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