This is the only official website of Jackie Pullinger and St. Stephen’s Society Hong Kong and she/we do not have any social media accounts. Any other social media accounts bearing her/our name are not valid.
Come In!!
Rehabilitation
Captives set free
Helping the addicted, youth in crisis and those with life-threatening problems come into freedom and healing
Come In!!
Many families in Hong Kong have hidden problems they cannot fix alone, e.g., drugs, alcoholism, anorexia, bulimia, gambling, gaming addiction, pornography, self-harm and internet addiction. More and more youngsters shut themselves in their rooms, refuse to go to school and withdraw from society.
They may need a period of residential care to get free from their addictions or life-threatening situations. It is almost essential to be removed from the lifestyle which has enabled harmful habits before the cycle can be broken and a new way learned.
We invite them into our homes and have seen hundreds of all ages completely changed as they courageously agree to face their problems and allow us to help.
High hopes and aims
We long…
to see each man and woman and teenager free from whatever has caused their addiction, distress, or need to harm themselves.
We aim…
to make a safe place for them where they know they are loved and valued, can open up about their problems and receive healing.
We pray…
they will come to believe how special and unique they are and what they have been created for.
We long…
to see families restored and each family member come into their own healing, too.
We aim…
that each man and woman, when they leave our homes, would go on to become an asset to Hong Kong by supporting themselves, their own families and helping society as well.
50 years' experience
For over 50 years we have pioneered in this field, impressing medical professionals, social workers and court officers, operating safe homes for those dealing with life threatening problems, addictions or needing recovery for a while. We have housed men, women and teenagers of multiple ethnicities and backgrounds, speaking different languages.
Houses Now and Then
After beginning with one apartment in the seventies, we rented or borrowed many more places, now totalling 287. These included temporary accommodation made available to us by Hong Kong Government since 1983.
-
![Tai Tam]()
Tai Tam
-
![Tai O]()
Tai O
-
![Tai Po]()
Tai Po
-
![Tuen Mun]()
Tuen Mun
-
![Babington]()
Babington
-
![Tai Tam]()
Tai Tam
Multi-Purpose Rehabilitation Homes
In 1997, Hong Kong Government made a plot of land available to us where we have built homes and premises to care for those with multiple addictions, and apartments for those serving and living with them. They are now licensed by Social Welfare Department of HKSAR Government.
The mixture of men and women, families, children, teenagers and the very old, is truly sweet and mutually beneficial. They help one another. Worship is central, training for work is offered and all up-keep, cleaning and cooking is shared by the residents.
A Dream Come True
Everything I dreamed of in Walled City you can find in our present homes – a football pitch - also marked for basketball, volleyball, and tennis. An inside gym with a climbing wall, basketball hoops and table tennis equipment.
There is also a half-Olympic sized swimming pool with an attached outside ‘jacuzzi’ pool, since at one time we housed over a dozen men with one leg each – the other having been amputated because of infected drug injections. Then there are dozens of bicycles to aid in restoring physical fitness to those who have neglected their bodies or harmed themselves.
Inside different buildings there are dance, music, and activity rooms, as well as kitchens where our people do their own cooking. There is a separate section for educational projects. Most residents and single helpers stay together in dormitory-style accommodation.
Detox
New arrivals spend the initial period of time in a special room with their own bathroom, where they are accompanied and looked after 24/7. For most, this is the detox period.
We have continued to see the miracle of painless withdrawal from drugs or other substances as we pray and watch over our new residents. Each one enters voluntarily; they then go on to stay and work on their life problems and deal with the causes of their addictions. The time this takes varies with each person. However, we usually advise a minimum of one year when responding to social workers and the courts.
Ongoing Rehabilitation
Here are examples of those who have worked through their problems, remained in fellowship and experienced significant healing in their families – electrician, plasterer, builder, lifeguard, elderly home assistant, taxi driver, hairdresser, barber, optician, worship leader, overseas missionary, florist, entrepreneur, restauranteur, university lecturer. None of these had finished high school before living with us! More details of our process and projects for families of addicts and residents can be found by ………
OUR FAMILY
The different homes all over Hong Kong are run family-style with the leaders acting as ‘parents’ - all residents sharing in the daily activities, such as worship, cooking meals, cleaning and maintenance, Bible study, prayer, interest groups and sports. They also help with caring for the new residents.
After a few months there is job training, work experience and outreach opportunities reaching the poor in Hong Kong and later, overseas. They are motivated and brilliant when helping the poor.
TEENAGERS
Gogetters
Giving young people the chance to start afresh, as they live with others in a closely supported family environment.
Our Aim
To rebuild the foundations of each teenager’s life. We believe that every life is unique and of great value.
How?
We concentrate on:
Christ Centered Family Life
Our Gogetters live together in family homes where they are loved and accepted. Through Christ-centered prayer, counselling and worship, childhood hurts are healed and what they lacked or missed out on can be restored. In this way, the foundations of their early life are rebuilt and they can move towards maturity in their new found life.
Learning
We aim to inspire young people to find out how they learn best and who they are. We want to prepare them for their future by helping them to discover and explore their talents and dreams. We are recognized by the Hong Kong Education Bureau as a provider of courses, programmes and school lessons for the teenagers who reside with us. We create tailor-made programmes to cater to the needs of each individual.
Our focus is on personal growth, character development and knowing ourselves better, as well as on academic learning.
We draw on the theory of ‘Multiple Intelligences’, which emphasizes that people are a mixture of different kinds of intelligence and learn best when what needs to be learned is presented in a variety of ways.
Criteria for Programme Entry
● Parental permission
● Recommendation from school/social worker/probation officer/other
● No longer in full time education, either as the result of expulsion, or by choice
● Problems with addiction or other lifestyles which are out of control
● Willingness to respect our beliefs and values
● 12-18 years old (formal identification required)
Parenting Meetings
To help parents understand our live-in training and reparenting process, we ask all parents or guardians to come to our regular parenting meetings. Through workshops where we exchange ideas and advice, they have the opportunity to begin to learn how to repair, restore and maintain healthy relationships with their children.
