The Harbor began in 1997 when Melinda Cathey - an experienced family/marriage counselor living in St. Petersburg - met Alex Krutov, a "graduate" orphan.

Alex had been abandoned at birth in a dumpster and grew up in an orphanage. At age ten, he was adopted and repeatedly abused by a Russian family. Alex ran away and remained on the streets for two years. Eventually, he was returned to the state orphanage system until age eighteen. Even though an orphan and street child, Alex managed to teach himself English, complete school, gain a college degree, and develop a positive outlook on life . . . because he found new life in a relationship with God.

Melinda's first trip to a Russian orphanage was with Alex, to his prior home. There, her heart was deeply moved by the children she met . . . their stories and their needs. This life-changing experience inspired Melinda to seek ways to help.

She became aware of huge difficulties in the orphan care system. Despite the human and material resources flooding in from the West, the heart-breaking statistics remained unchanged. She was appalled at the high incidence of death, prostitution, drugs, crime, and homelessness that followed the youth into adulthood. Something was terribly wrong.

Moved by compassion and the Biblical mandate to love the orphan, Melinda and Alex birthed The Harbor. Their desire was to create a family atmosphere, where "graduate" orphans could not only come to live and learn the skills for successful living, but also to learn about the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

First, they identified the issues that needed to be addressed: education, vocational training, basic life skills, counseling/emotional healing, and spiritual formation. They determined that the most effective way to teach these skills would be in the setting of a loving, nurturing family.

The first program of its kind in the North-West region of Russia, The Harbor was opened in September, 2001. Since that time, several dozen students have successfully graduated.

The Harbor, a ministry of CRM, is a unique program for orphans in St. Petersburg, Russia. Our mission is to be a refuge for the 98% of Russian orphans that don’t get adopted; to provide a safe place where they can discover their purpose in life, learn the skills to achieve that purpose, and experience the necessary healing to walk in that purpose.

Through our three year residential curriculum, we are proving that government statistics regarding orphans can be reversed. Ninety percent are expected to end up homeless, involved in crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and/or in prison within the first five years. Ninety percent of our participants are, instead, succeeding in their adjustment to young adult living, gaining employment, and furthering their education.

The Harbor… Anchoring Lives, Launching Hope.

The Harbor’s philosophy is reflected in our holistic program. Our goal is to effect profound and life-long change in every orphan in our program. We believe this can only be accomplished by addressing the whole person; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Furthermore, since each person is a unique reflection of the Creator’s image, they must be addressed on an individual basis.

Each participant completes an entire battery of assessments and is then given an individualized plan. Each plan addresses the five core areas of education, life skills, job skills, counseling, and spiritual formation.

1. Profound and lasting change most often occurs in the context of relationships. Thus, the Harbor program is residential where a family atmosphere is approximated as much as possible. A high staff/participant ratio is utilized.
2. Significant and enduring change only occurs if the whole person is addressed. Therefore, the Harbor program is holistic. It addresses the emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical aspects of all participants.
3. Staff are our greatest asset and must be our top priority. The program is only as effective as our staff. We hire only those who are specialists, Christians, and who own the Harbor vision for themselves. We invest heavily in them with continuing education, spiritual formation, and salaries worthy of their market value.
4. Russians know better than foreigners how to best prepare their orphans for successful integration into their society. Foreign leadership consults, advises, and teaches the Russian staff, yet remains submissive to the decisions of the indigenous leadership. They are the ones that have to live with the consequences of these decisions.
5. A program that endures for generations must be built on a solid foundation whose responsibility is by nationals. We are taking the necessary steps to build an infrastructure both strong enough and flexible enough to stand the test of time.

1. Establishing a new model of transitional childcare; helping orphans who must leave an orphanage due to their age, to integrate successfully into mainstream life.
2. Establishing a new model that provides not only material care, but also one that addresses the holistic needs of children (emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, and physical health).
3. Establishing a new model that assures an adequate level of education and training/job skills, and allows for realistic job placement.
4. Establishing a new model with highly trained and effective staff who believe that there is hope for the orphans and that orphans are created with dignity, potential, and purpose.
5. Establishing a new model whereby staff serves not only as workers, but also as mentors who nurture, guide, and advocate for these children.
6. Establishing a new model, to serve as an example to the churches of St. Petersburg, of a culturally relevant expression of the heart of God.
7. Establishing a new model that empowers the Russians to staff and manage such a project long-term.