Children’s Hope Alliance receives $20,000 grant from CFWNC

Press release from Children’s Hope Alliance:

Buncombe County: Sometimes the village doesn’t seem large enough to raise all the children in need. That’s certainly the case for the hundreds of kids in foster care each year in Buncombe County. But Children’s Hope Alliance (CHA) is determined to expand the village to meet this pressing demand.

“We’re working to build a support network of foster parents large enough to meet the need,” CHA President and CEO Celeste Dominguez said. “Our role is to provide hope, health, and healing for generations. And meeting the demand for more foster homes to provide a safe and supportive environment for children is a top priority.”

Fortunately, the Community Foundation of Western NC gave a boost to CHA’s efforts to expand its number of foster homes through the “Fostering Success” program. The $20,000 People in Need grant – a grant which addresses needs such as housing, hunger and mental health – will be used to recruit and train foster parents in three western North Carolina counties. Funding will pay for website updates for the program, appreciation and networking events, as well as promotional materials for recruitment.

The shortage of available homes in Buncombe County – and across North Carolina – means there are times when foster children need to be placed in homes outside their home county. According to Dominguez, when that happens, it’s a disservice to the child and his or her family. “Removing a child from their school, their neighborhood, and everything familiar to them just makes the transition to a completely new home that much more difficult,” she said.

And the number of children in the foster care system is staggering. At last count in 2017, 10,706 children were in foster care in North Carolina, according to the Children’s Bureau, a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Kids come into care for a variety of reasons. Some are placed into foster care because of abuse, others are placed into care because of neglect,” Dominguez said. “But whatever the reason is, they need a loving and responsible home to support them. And that’s what Children’s Hope Alliance is striving to provide.”

The reasons for the shortage of foster homes are numerous, but Dominguez cited the opioid epidemic as contributing to the rising number of children who need homes. And the stigma associated with foster parenting or the fear of the responsibility. But she stressed that foster parents are not alone.

“We are here to provide support every step of the way. You are never alone,” she said.

CHA Asheville-based foster parent Colleen Calderone knows this well. For Calderone and her husband, being foster parents has been life-changing. And she’s felt anything but alone.

“Two years ago, a special little girl entered our lives,” Calderone said. “Little did we know that we would also build a bond with the woman who brought her into this world too, and we are blessed for that. Having a relationship with her mom has been so special to us and we’ve been able to share many memories with her.”

Children’s Hope Alliance needs homes for children with emotional or behavioral needs; sibling groups; children ages 6-17; children who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect; and children who identify as LGBTQ.

Anyone interested in being a foster parent or otherwise helping should contact Children’s Hope Alliance at 844-791-3117 or childrenshopealliance.org.