Hope for Foster Children
Nestled among a canopy of scattered oaks and native palm trees sits a neighborhood that looks like any other – family homes with grassy yards, kids playing basketball in the park or riding bikes on the sidewalks, and parents standing together chatting. Anyone walking through the community would think it to be the typical Gainesville, Florida, neighborhood.
But this neighborhood is actually quite different. Here, neighbors live as family and together take on the very special role of providing love, stability, and hope for children in foster care. It is in this very special place that a smooth and beautiful transition occurred—one that forever changed the lives of two families and two foster children.
That special place is the neighborhood, an innovative approach to providing Christ-centered foster care services to vulnerable children removed from their homes due to abandonment, abuse, or neglect. This gated community features four homes—two duplexes with two homes each. They are specifically designed to house larger families, allowing foster sibling groups to remain in care together. It is a place where foster families can support one another. And where foster children can play and grow freely.
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A Beautiful Transition
The Smiths*, along with Sally* and Joe*, their foster sister and brother sibling pair, lived in one of the CT Foster Family Homes for 3 ½ years. Meanwhile, the Holly* family and their foster children lived just down the street in another of the CT homes. Like many neighbors, the two families were well-acquainted, and the children went to school and hung out together.
After 10 years of fostering, the Smiths believed that season of their life had come to an end, so they prayerfully decided to conclude their foster care journey. This meant that Sally and Joe needed to be relocated to a new foster home. Depending upon availability, the two siblings could have been placed anywhere in one of the 50 Florida counties where One More Child licenses foster families. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Sally and Joe would be placed in the same home.
But that is not how this story ends.
Because of the relationships that had formed between the two families, the Holly family invited Sally and Joe to move into their home and become part of their foster family – so they did. “They moved two houses over, kept their normal routines, stayed in the same school, and became part of a family they already knew,” said Brittany Sammons, foster care supervisor at One More Child.
Just a few months later, another beautiful transition occurred when Sally and Joe were reunified with their biological parents – a foster care success story for everyone involved.
Homes, Not Houses
Anne Chastain, northeast regional senior director of foster care at One More Child, believes the Cellon-Thomas Foster Family Homes exist for one simple reason: “We care, and not just about the foster parents but also about the foster children. We are there to love on them, show them the love of Christ, and be the parental figure until reunification or adoption takes place. One More Child’s Cellon-Thomas Campus gives them a home that is not just full of structure but also full of love and playfulness, so they can be kids and not deal with the adult issues impacting their lives.”
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
You Can Help Make a House a Home
Two of the four houses in the Cellon-Thomas Foster Family Homes neighborhood are currently awaiting Christian foster parents who are willing to say ‘yes’ to serving in this special way. As a CT Family Homes foster parent, you will live rent-free in a fully furnished home with minimal utility expenses. You will also help children grow spiritually, socially, academically, and emotionally. And, by giving these vulnerable children a voice, you will be creating your own stories of beautiful transitions, life change, and an eternal impact beyond what can be conceived.
Click here to learn more information about One More Child’s Foster Care program and to discover how you can make a difference for vulnerable children in need of a safe place to call home. Your support can come in many forms:
- Attend a virtual info session to learn about becoming a foster parent.
- Give a generous financial gift to provide tangible resources and support to dedicated foster parents.
- Start a Foster Crew to provide much-needed encouragement and wraparound care to foster families in your community.
Sign Up for a Virtual Information Session