ROANOKE, Va. – There are about 800 children who are ready for adoption in Virginia. They are ready to find a permanent and loving forever family. 10 News is highlighting one child who needs a home every day in November in 30 Days of Hope. The children are of all ages and races and were put into foster care due to no fault of their own. 2024 marks the eighth year 10 News is doing this series.
DePaul Community Resources is getting money to help keep children out of foster care.
The organization is getting $32,400 from the Roanoke Women’s Foundation for the Strengthening Connections program.
Renee Brown, DePaul Community Resources CEO & President, said the program started about two years ago when a grandmother wanted to keep her grandchildren while her daughter dealt with substance abuse issues.
Brown says the grandmother didn’t have the money to buy things like beds to start taking care of them so DePaul stepped in with help to get started.
“Then the daughter returned home and she got her children. The children did not have to enter foster care. The family stayed together. The children stayed connected to their family. When that happened, we realized there was a need out there, and we could meet that need, so we started applying for grants to do more of that, and that’s how the program was born,” said Brown.
Strengthening Connections has helped 20 families, that includes about 40 kids. It is about stabilizing children who need to live with a family member while their parents are dealing with whatever they have to deal with to become a family again.
“Children do better if they don’t have to experience the trauma of leaving their home. We know children want to stay connected to their families. We know families want to keep the children in their communities, their school, their church, their sports teams, all those things can happen if we can simply just support the families in their moment of need to stabilize, to get some resources, and then they can just they flourish,” said Brown. “We prevent them from coming into foster care, and we’re immensely proud of that program.”
Ready to take the next step?
Frequently asked questions about foster care and adoption in Virginia can be found here.
If you have questions about foster care/adoption or are interested in starting the process, contact VDSS Division of Family Services Adoption Recruitment Coordinator at adoptioninquiries@dss.virginia.gov.
To see all the 30 Days of Hope stories and children we are featuring, visit us here.