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Hostel for People with Mental Health Disabilities: Supportive Framework in the Community

Dana Haim, MSW, Senior Field Director of Housing and Individuals, Rehabilitation Basket
16 June 2025

A hostel is a rehabilitative residential framework for people with mental health disabilities who require professional supervision throughout the day. This is a safe, supportive and containing space where individuals can develop personal independence, integrate in employment and feel a sense of belonging  while rebuilding their confidence. 

Approximately 30 tenants generally live in a hostel, in individual or shared rooms. An individual rehabilitation program is created for every resident that includes daily function, emotional support and inclusion in community services. The staff includes professionals from the fields of psychiatry, social work, nutrition and occupational therapy. 

The hostel offers an open framework with clubs, recreational activities, education, events and trips. There are also dedicated hostels for young people, women, comorbidity and special populations. 

Payment is up to NIS 1,500 per month (or 80% of the disability pension), and includes residence, food, medication and current expenses. Anyone interested in moving to a hostel must obtain approval of eligibility through the rehabilitation basket. Important to know: a framework that corresponds to your needs can be selected, and you can leave at any stage. 

 For more information about rights, obligations and options available to you - ask the attending staff or rehabilitation basket coordinators. 

A hostel is a rehabilitative residential framework for people with mental health disabilities that offers common group residence designed to provide residents with a professional and human response during their rehabilitation. The hostel offers a space in which one can feel part of a community of people who are coping with similar challenges. Occasionally, the natural environment of people who are rehabilitating cannot provide the necessary support, whereas a hostel can offer an ideal solution due to access to professional treatment and personal supervision that help the individuals cope with everyday challenges.  

As part of life in the hostel, the individual being rehabilitated learns many basic functional and social skills. The accompanying staff creates an individual rehabilitation plan for every resident that includes setting goals and targets. The staff makes a concerted effort towards rehabilitation or development of everyday skills such as budget management, house management, cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, job market skills, etc. The individuals being rehabilitated who live in the hostel are directed to services in the community, including clinic services, psychiatric follow-up and purchase of medications. They are also directed to rehabilitative employment programs that correspond with their wishes and abilities. 

Target population of the hostel 

The hostel is designed for individuals with mental health disabilities who are eligible for the rehabilitation basket and who meet the following conditions: 

  • Require intense personal supervision throughout the day.  
  • Require emotional and social support in a supportive and safe environment in which they can develop social skills and be part of a containing, supportive community.  
  • Are capable of living in a community with other people and participating in group activities.  

Exercising eligibility

If you already have a rehabilitation basket 

You can contact the person supervising you on behalf of the Rehabilitation Basket and inform them of the need for residential services. The supervisor will contact the district Rehabilitation Basket Board, which will review your eligibility for residential services.  

If you do not have a rehabilitation basket 

You can submit an application for a rehabilitation basket independently or through a support assistant. Please read here about submitting an application for a rehabilitation basket. On the application form, it is important that you note the need for a residential framework. Once the forms have been submitted, you will receive an invitation to the first Rehabilitation Basket Board, which will determine your eligibility for certain rehabilitation services. In the meeting with the Board, you can explain and emphasize the need for residential services.  

Features of the hostel 

A hostel is far more than a place of residence. It is an opportunity to be part of a supportive community in which each individual is accepted just as they are. This is a space in which one can build confidence, learn to manage everyday life - and simply feel as if one belongs. 

  • Structure of the hostel: The hostel is a main building in which 30 individuals with similar challenges who are being rehabilitated reside. The residence includes rooms for individuals, couples or partners.  
  • Community of peers: The hostel has numerous advantages, including alleviation of isolation and inclusion in a community of people who are coping with similar conditions. Residing in a community of peers generates belonging, closeness, equal discourse and a sense of family. Some of the individuals being rehabilitated find relationships in the hostel, and most help each other develop during the rehabilitation process.   
  • Personalization: Hostel services, staff supervision, the activities offered and inclusion in the community as well as in employment are adapted to the functional level of every individual being rehabilitated.   
  • Open, independent and free framework: The hostel allows residents to freely and independently exit and enter. Its location near hospitals and mental health clinics provides a sense of security and allows individuals being rehabilitated convenient access to them, resulting in a more continuous follow-up.  

Hostel staff  

The professional staff includes professionals from the following disciplines: psychiatry, social work, occupational therapy, nutrition, nursing, alternative treatments and rehabilitation. Additionally, every hostel employs staff responsible for preparing the food, cleaning and maintenance. The makeup of the staff and the number of professionals working in the hostel varies, based on the nature of the hostel, number of residents and their functional level. Hostels in which the residents are individuals being rehabilitated with diminished mental function or serious health problems will require a broader and more diverse professional staff, in contrast with hostels for residents who are more independent and who require fewer staff. 

Life in the hostel

Meaningful and productive employment helps increase self-esteem and can serve as an excellent tool to distract people from mental suffering. Many individuals undergoing rehabilitation who lives in a hostel integrate in various jobs outside the hostel, depending on their individual needs and abilities.  

Important to know: The hostel staff will encourage you to get a job and maximize your personal potential.   

To read about employment possibilities

  • Workshops: art, improvement of interpersonal skills, ceramics, psychodrama.   Clubs: Yoga, laughter yoga, diving therapy, exercise, belly dancing, ping pong, cooking, music, landscaping, art, etc.  
  • Sports: walking groups or sports days.  
  • Trips: One-day trips and vacations 
  • Cultural and social activities: shows, group sessions and individual, social and therapeutic sessions.  
  • Family involvement: Some hostels host family sessions to encourage family involvement in the rehabilitation process.   
  • Events and holidays: parties during holidays and joint holiday meals.  

 To read about the importance of recreation

As part of the rehabilitation plan, you can integrate in various education programs, from completing basic education and until supervision during academic studies that are provided as part of the rehabilitation basket to eligible individuals.  

To read about education services

Special hostels 

 

Some of the hostels are adapted to special groups such as people coping with comorbidity, PTSD,eating disorders, physical and mental morbidity, young people, women and men who are senior citizens (55+) and hostels for the Ultra Orthodox or Arab sector.  

These hostels are characterized by staff who have undergone training to work with the population with unique characteristics, and offer rehabilitation plans that are adapted to their needs.   

Financing residence in the hostel 

The monthly payment is up to NIS 1,500 or 80% of the disability pension (based on the agreement with the service provider). This amount includes current invoice payment and other expenses, such as food and medication.  

Advice from us

Advice from us

The hostel is equipped with basic furniture (generally a bed and cabinet) as well as electrical appliances.  To feel as comfortable as you can at the hostel, you should bring furniture and personal equipment, which will make you feel at home, based on your needs and choice. Individuals can bring almost anything, as long as it is coordinated with the supplier. 

Rights and obligations of residents of a hostel

Rights  

  •  Freedom of choice: in setting your rehabilitation goals and in choosing to be in the program.  
  • Right to leave: The right to completely leave the hostel at any time or ask for a transfer to another hostel. 
  • Telephone: To order and install a telephone in the room.  

Obligations    

As part of the joint residence, there are basic rules that must be followed: 

  • Behave with respect, no verbal or physical violence towards other residents and staff. 
  • Cooperate with the agenda and participate in rehabilitative activity being offered at the hostel. 
  • Maintain the hostel, the hostel’s property and the property of other residents.  
  • Remain under regular psychiatric follow-up. 
  • The hostel strictly prohibits use of drugs of any kind. People with a mental health disability who have medical approval for cannabis must contract the hostel director and arrange rules of use for them. 

  

 End or termination of the service  

In certain cases, residents can be temporarily removed from the hostel for a period of up to one week. Leaving or temporary departure will be in accordance with the professional criteria, such as incidents of violence, alcohol or drug use, theft, psychotic behavior or physical as well as mental abuse. In this situation, the service director establishes with the person being rehabilitated who is removed from the hostel the alternate residence they can move to in the meantime.  

Incompatibility with the hostel  

The hostel staff may decide, in conjunction with the district rehabilitation staff of the Ministry of Health, on an incompatibility with the hostel for a variety of reasons, such as inappropriate behavior, active drug use, significant decline in their medical condition and the need for medical measures not supplied by the hostel or that is accessible to the community. The individual being rehabilitated must cooperate with the professional decision and leave the framework.The staff must inform the resident two weeks in advance of the termination of service.  

Appealing a decision: the individual being rehabilitated can appeal the decision to terminate the service. This is an orderly process in which the individual being rehabilitated can present his arguments and request a change in decision.  

Leaving the hostel 

Every individual being rehabilitated has free choice. You can decide at any given moment to leave the hostel immediately or on a certain date. If you chose to leave, you must issue notice one month in advance to the hostel and must pay the relative share of fixed hostel expenses for one month, or until another resident replaces you. Afterwards, you can look for an alternate framework for yourself, either on your own or with the help of the hostel staff. 

Important to know

Important to know

If the individual leaves the hostel, for any reason, the professional staff will issue a detailed written report that will include the date of departure, a summary of the rehabilitation process, reasons for the end of the contractual arrangement, recommendations for the future and referral to relevant parties.  

Questions and answers on hostels

Selecting the framework that is right for you is an important decision that strongly affects your rehabilitation process and everyday life. In order to make the right decision, you must understand your personal needs, through questions such as:  

  • Do you need close supervision and intensive treatment throughout the day?  
  • What is your level of functional independence?  
  • Do you need a framework that will enable independence and ability to develop? 
  • Do you take medications every day independently?  
  • Do you have the knowledge and ability to manage your household?  
  • Are you capable of looking out for your personal hygiene?  

Accurate answers will help you choose the right framework.  

The decision is made in a joint process that includes you, the therapeutic and rehabilitation staff, and occasionally your family. Your desires, needs and preferences are critical in the decision-making process. 

It is important to visit various hostels, to speak with individuals living there and with the staff. The visit to the site will help you see what life in a hostel is like on a daily basis and to make a decision on whether it suits your needs. If you are still deliberating, you can consult mental health professionals who know you, such as therapy coordinators and/or social workers, who can recommend suitable frameworks based on their experience and familiarity with you. 

Important to know: You have the possibility of a trial period of up to 14 days. At the end of the trial  period, it will be easier for you to make an informed decision.   

If the individual being rehabilitated is hospitalized due to physical or mental deterioration, their place in the hostel will be kept for a period of up to 3 months, during which the hostel will be paid by the Ministry of Health. The hostel staff will visit the individual being rehabilitated who is hospitalized at least once a week. 

 

 

 

if you prefer living in a hostel that is close to your parents’ home, it is important that you state this during the discussions with the attending staff and take this into account when making a decision on the suitable frameworks. Professionals supervising you can help you determine whether there are available hostels that are suitable for your needs, in the requested area of residence. 

Visits by family members and friends are crucial to the mental and social support of residents and may facilitate the rehabilitation process while increasing your sense of confidence and comfort in the new framework. In general, visitors are welcome, but it is important to check the hostel’s visiting policy since every framework has its own criteria. For the most part, hostels establish certain visiting hours to allow other residents to maintain their daily routine and prevent disruptions. Some hostels allow visits throughout the week while others limit visits to weekends or certain hours of the day. The visit should be coordinated in advance with the hostel staff, to ensure that the visit corresponds with your timetable as well as that of the attending staff, and to ensure that there are no conflicts with planned activities or therapies. 

Every hostel has its own policy about leaves, based on the level of support required and the times of the activities. The staff will occasionally require advanced notice of planned leaves and for the individual to obtain approval for said leave.  

  • Residents who require close supervision may be obligated to obtain approval for the leave.  
  • Residents with a high-risk level may leave the hostel accompanied by a staff member during the leave.  

If you want to transfer to another framework, you must speak with the professional staff at the hostel, including your therapy coordinator and submit an application with the Rehabilitation Board. The staff will help you understand your needs, and advice regarding suitable frameworks. The Board will review your application and will make a decision based on your latest medical and psycho-social information. At the same time, you can examine other hostels through visits, discussions, etc. If the Board approves the transfer, you must inform your current hostel about your intent to leave, generally approximately one month before the transfer. The professional staff at the current hostel will prepare a summary report of your rehabilitation process that will include medical information, therapeutic summaries and recommendations for the future. This report will be sent to the new hostel, which will review it. 

Submitting the application

Information on how to submit the application, details of the documents that must be attached, list of equipment included in the assistance and more can be viewed on the government services website.

Submit from the government services website

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