The Wondrous Story

Rev. Bailey’s dream to provide a safe haven for “youth in trouble” was launched in 1964. 

The first boy came to Ranch Hope in Alloway Township, Salem County, from the Woodbury Probation Department on May 5, 1964. Within a few months, the first residence for 12 boys was filled.  Rev. and Mrs. Bailey, with their family, served as the first house parents.

Ranch Hope has proactively met the needs of adolescent boys via structured programming in a residential setting for 45 years. Over time, the Ranch modified its approach and became an alternative for child protective services, as well as the Family Court System. The Ranch now has the capacity to care for 57 boys and 12 girls, as well as day school students, who experience troubled home lives, difficulty in the community and school, and who are in need of a nurturing community setting as opposed to a correctional environment.

Rev. Bailey has always defined Hope as “An Expectation of Success.” This is Ranch Hope’s motto and words he lives by every day.