Greensboro, North Carolina, Dec. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imagine waking up on the morning of your favorite holiday, not to festive sights and sounds, but in a Department of Social Services office. This could be the reality for some children this holiday season – a time when many enter the foster care system.
With nearly 11,000 children in care and only 5,400 foster homes, there is a critical shortage of foster parents in North Carolina, and some children are finding themselves without a foster family to care for them. With a 23 percent decline in foster homes from 2021 to 2022, the need is great for foster families to support these children while they await reunification, guardianship with relatives, or adoption.
Children’s Home Society of NC (CHS) is actively seeking individuals and families who are willing to open their homes and hearts to children in need, giving them the gift of hope during an extremely difficult transition.
“More youth enter foster care around the holidays due to the stressors of the season and children being out of school,” said Shannon Enoch, CHS Executive Director of Programs. “Not only are they being separated from their families, but sadly it is happening during a time when families traditionally come together.”
“As you take in the joy and warmth of the season, consider what it could mean to open your heart to a child in foster care. Please don't let another holiday season go by without learning more about becoming a foster parent,” Enoch added.
For more information about the requirements and process of becoming a foster parent, please contact Children’s Home Society at 1-888-883-7414 or www.chsnc.org.
Children's Home Society provides top-quality, evidence-based programs and services to children and families throughout North Carolina in support of our mission to promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe, and loving family. Our education and child welfare staff provided services to more than 22,000 individuals last year, educating and preserving families, supporting children and families through transitions, and creating new families.
Interviews Available – CHS Staff with Connections to Foster Care/Adoption
- Tori Brasher – Tori fostered and then adopted her three children though CHS and has since joined our staff as Education Manager, Institute for Family.
- Mikaila Reinhart – Mikaila aged out of foster care to be adopted as an adult. Mikaila is now a Family Recruiter for CHS recruiting foster families.
- Titianna Goings – Titianna is a foster care alumni and kinship adoptive parent of her baby brother. She is a Health Education Trainer for CHS’s SYNC (Sexual Health for Youth in Care) program.
- Danielle Styles – Danielle, CHS Senior Accountant, is an adoptive mother of two, and she and her family stay connected to her children’s birth families by creating holiday ornaments for them each year.
About Children’s Home Society of North Carolina
Children’s Home Society offers a network of services and support throughout North Carolina to help establish and sustain healthy, loving relationships in every family. For 120 years, Children’s Home Society has provided a broad spectrum of programs and services including adoption, foster care, parenting education, family preservation, and teen responsibility. Children’s Home Society believes in the importance of family, not only in the life of a child but also in the foundation of a community. For more information, visit www.chsnc.org.
Attachment
