First, God broke our hearts. Then gave us something to do about it all. You can read about our story here.
After the call to be a host family came the call to start a Chapter of Safe Families in my own back yard. To date we have recruited 25 host families and facilitated almost 200 placements in Madison County since our inception in March of 2013. We are meant to be here… there is no doubt about that.
The last two years have been comprised of working closely with local churches to recruit host families and volunteers, planning fundraiser events, and outreaching to community organizations and non-profits about who we are and what we are here to do.
Our founder, Dr. David Anderson describes Safe Families as "a movement of hundreds of Christian families who have opened their homes to care for children whose parents are struggling. By demonstrating biblical hospitality, Safe Families returns the church to the forefront of caring for orphans and widows."
Safe Families for Children/Central Indiana has been operating in the greater Indianapolis area since 2008 and was founded in Chicago in 2003. Since then, Safe Families has become an extended family to many parents in crisis. In this difficult economy families are facing unemployment health issues, drug addictions, homelessness, etc. and need additional support. Safe Families for Children temporarily places children with screened host families, allowing parents the time to acquire the tools necessary to thrive as a family. A child's average length of stay is 6 weeks and the average age is 4.5 years. Safe Families for Children works closely with local churches and referring organizations to maintain a community effort in caring for children. We strive to meet 3 primary objectives:
1. Child Welfare Deflection: We provide a safe alternative to child welfare custody, thus significantly reducing the number of children entering the child welfare system.
2. Child Abuse Prevention: We provide an overwhelmed and resource limited parent with a safe, temporary place for their child without threat of losing custody. By offering support, the goal is to avert potential abuse/neglect episodes.
3. Family Support and Stabilization: Many parents struggle because of limited social support and unavailable extended family. Many Safe Family volunteers become the extended family that a parent never had.
Consider what your part is in the story God is writing in our community. Maybe yours will include hosting a child in your home, or introducing the Safe Families movement to your church. Maybe it's volunteering your time or giving of your resources or your finances. If you'd like to get involved with Safe Families in any capacity, or to learn more about our organization, please visit the links below and don't forget to sign up to receive more blog posts.
We look forward to sharing more stories with you as God continues to do his work.
Emma Johnson
ejohnson@safefamilies.net
About Our Director
Emma Johnson is the director of Safe Families for Children of Madison County and has been a local to Madison County for a good part of the last 20 years. Emma graduated from Pendleton Heights in 1999 and has lived in Pendleton with her husband and two children for the last 6 years. She keeps busy with teaching gymnastics at the YMCA, working with Safe Families and can often be seen roaming the streets of Pendleton with a few extra kids trailing behind. She also enjoys writing and every so often she blogs about her family’s adventures. She can be contacted at ejohnson@safefamilies.net
No comments:
Post a Comment