2022 Year End Report

1. EQUIPPING CAREGIVERS AND CHILDREN WITH SUPPORT .....20

2. CONNECTING CAREGIVERS TO SUSTAINING COMMUNITY .....21

3. ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM .....22

YOUR GENEROSITY IS CREATING A NEW KIND OF VILLA GE WHERE EVERYONE GETS THE SUPPORT THEY NEED

A LETTER

FROM

Our Founder

Dear Foster Village Family,

What a year it’s been! We started this year with high hopes for mission growth, and I’m grateful to report that, thanks to your generosity, we were able to achieve just that.

As our state continues to navigate multiple child welfare crises and system-wide changes, our programs at Foster Village continue to set the highest standard for the care of our children and the community’s role in improving the child welfare system. Our holistic approach is changing the way children and caregivers experience crises related to child abuse, neglect, family separation, and the root causes behind those issues. And our programs are growing in depth and impact with our most impressive outcomes to date.

When we set out on this mission back in 2016, we knew that there were countless individuals, businesses, churches, and other organizations with a common desire to wrap around children and families in the foster care system and change the troubling outcomes they are often faced with – but there was a major gap between those in need of help and those with a desire to do something about it. Over these past several years, we have built the bridge for the community to come alongside children and families to equip, connect, and advocate for their wellbeing.

I’d love to tell you that ensuring kids have clothing and a bed is enough in the work we do, but the truth is that trauma goes much deeper than that. And as this mission has grown, we have had the opportunity to go deeper with the tools and expertise needed to pave the way toward long-term healing and restoration of families.

In reviewing how our shared mission has grown and deepened this year, I hope you can get glimpses of just how incredibly impactful your generosity has been in the lives of those we serve. I am so proud of what this village has built, and I have never been more hopeful for where we are headed.

This Spirit-led endeavor began with my hope in the power of community, and as I refect back over the past six years, I continue to be humbled beyond belief by this village that has come together for our most vulnerable.

One of my favorite things we get to do on a daily basis is tell those we serve that “all of these services and resources are provided by neighbors who care about you.” If you’ve spent any length of time with me, chances are you know that I’m an unapologetic fan of Mr. Rogers, and he summed it up perfectly: “Your neighbor is anyone you happen to be with.”

Thank you for continuing to be with us and the children and families we are able to extend your generosity to each and every day. Thank you for continuing to love our neighbors well (Mark 12:31). I am flled with hope and anticipation for the work ahead.

Chrystal Smith

Founder & CEO

GRATEFULLY,

Foster Village bridges the gap between families in the child welfare system and those who want to help. And the more bridges we build, the more connected we become.

The village has become a community where children, foster families, biological families, and supporters like you are forever connected in a network of support that goes beyond the system.

In fact, we’re creating a new kind of system: one where children get more than a roof over their heads – they get the resources they need to thrive; one where families aren’t separated – they’re created among biological families, foster families, and community members; one where isolation and heartbreak is replaced with loving community.

MEET A FEW MEMBERS OF OUR VILLAGE:

Gracie

MEETING THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Gracie was just a kid herself – too young to fnd herself homeless and trying to take care of an infant of her own.

Only a teenager and growing up in an unsafe and volatile home, CPS placed Gracie in foster care with a couple who welcomed both Gracie and her son into their home. Though Gracie’s biggest concern was for the well-being of her baby, she was also in need of love, care, and support.

Within an hour of Gracie’s arrival at the foster home, a Foster Village team member arrived with a carload of essentials for Gracie and her son. Gracie became a frequent visitor at our resource center and took on an unofcial internship role, helping us assemble welcome packs for other children entering foster care and sharing her valuable input about things that were most and least helpful for kids like her.

As she approached her 18th birthday, Gracie prepared to take on a new challenge: life on her own with her young son. Gracie wanted to give her son a better childhood than she’d had, but she had no role models and no idea where to begin.

But now, Gracie had a village of support. We were able to connect Gracie with a team of volunteers who committed to help her with consistent child care while she started a new job. She saved up enough money for a deposit on an apartment, and our social workers helped her navigate the complexities of fnding afordable housing and other social services. Alongside her foster parents, our team helped Gracie start the process to get her driver’s license and budget for car ownership.

Over the course of a year, Gracie’s story went from “a teen and her baby sleeping in the CPS ofce” to “a young mom with a job, an apartment, a car, and a village of support to cheer her on.”

Sarah

AND

Chris

CONNECTING FOSTER FAMILIES TO EACH OTHER

After learning about the critical need for more licensed foster homes, Sarah and Chris Knight volunteered to open their home to a child in need of a safe place to land. With three school-aged children, they fgured they could add an infant to the mix.

But as foster care often goes, their frst call for an emergency placement was a little more complicated than they envisioned. Their agency worker let them know that there was a six-month old baby girl in need of placement that night, and her two older brothers were en route from a home where they had been abandoned several hours away. They had been searching all day for a foster home that could care for the siblings together.

Sarah and Chris took a few minutes to think and pray about their decision and ultimately said “yes” to all three siblings. Quickly welcoming three new children, all with diferent needs, was overwhelming, but Foster Village’s on-call volunteers showed up same-day to help assemble beds, deliver welcome packs, and stock the family’s freezer with meals.

As the Knight family adjusted to life with six children, they knew they couldn’t take on this journey alone. Through Foster Village, they were able to connect with other families at Support Gatherings and get some time to rest and reconnect as a couple through our Parents’ Night Out program.

Six months into the case, the Knights got word that the siblings’ grandmother was located and she had a desire to see the children. Through the training Foster Village provided, the Knights felt equipped to build a relationship with Grandma and help facilitate visits with her and the kids.

Once it was determined that all three children would fnd permanency with Grandma, we were able to connect with her to make sure she had all the furniture and resources she needed to take care of three young children again. The Knights still see the kids –who are healing and thriving – on a regular basis and serve as an extension of family for Grandma, who is successfully caring for her grandchildren.

Gabby

BREAKING CYCLES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

It was Christmas, and Gabby’s son had been in foster care for nine months. Though it was lonely without him at home, Gabby was excited that things in her case were going well. She’d done the required classes, had gotten her medication managed, was attending therapy, had a job she enjoyed, and was looking for stable, afordable housing.

Marie, the foster mom to Gabby’s son, helped connect Gabby to Foster Village. Marie wanted to be an ongoing, supportive person in Gabby and her son’s life, and she had begun looking for resources in the community that would beneft Gabby.

We listened to Gabby’s story as she shared about unstable family connections and little to no outside support system. She shared about her love for her son and her goals – number one of which was to bring her son home.

We began to meet together regularly, working toward those goals and supporting Gabby as she got closer to reunifcation. One of the last pieces of the puzzle for Gabby was fguring out child care since she had worked her way into a supervisor position on an overnight shift. This non-typical work schedule made it impossible to utilize a typical daycare.

Marie volunteered to help with child care when she was in town, and we began to connect with others in the village who could provide care when Marie was unavailable. Once the childcare plan was in place, Gabby’s son was able to return home, and they settled back in as a family.

In the months following reunifcation, the village continued to be a family to Gabby. When intense illness hit her home, we were able to help with groceries and cover the gap in rent due to lost wages. When her car repairs were going to cost more than her vehicle was worth, a couple stepped up to help her replace the car with a great used vehicle. Marie still watches her son so Gabby can continue to work her way up in the feld she loves. Often, they all have dinner together before Gabby heads into work.

With a village of support, generational cycles are breaking. Gabby knows she is surrounded by the family she needs to be a healthy and successful mom. And more importantly, she knows her son will not grow up in isolation and instability like she did. Instead, he will have a brighter future...and so will his kids and their kids and their kids.

THAT’S THE POWER OF A VILLAGE. THAT’S HOW WE CHANGE FUTURES TOGETHER.

It’s a beautiful thing to help even one family: to see a child’s face light up when they get to pick out new clothes and toys, to see a foster family get the support they need to continue fostering, to see a biological mom be reunited with her kids.

But our vision has always been to create a village – because we know that if vulnerability and broken relationships don’t happen in isolation, healing doesn’t happen in isolation either.

Healing always happens in community.

As you can see in the stories of Gracie, Sarah and Chris, and Gabby, the village is made up of many people working together to break generational cycles: children, foster families, biological families, and supporters like you who make it all possible.

This year, we have seen the power of this community in action. What began with a resource center designed to meet basic needs is now a holistic ecosystem of love that is changing the lives of children, foster families, and biological families forever.

In this community, no one gets villainized and no one gets overlooked. We know the true enemy is isolation, so we meet that with connection: interdependent people working together and each bringing our gifts and strengths to the table – to give, to encourage, to support, to hope, to dream.

This is how we break generational cycles of adversity, launch new dreams, and create new legacies for parents, children, and entire communities.

Of children who are identified as survivors of sex trafficking had previous involvement with child welfare services.

Of children who are identified as survivors of sex trafficking had previous involvement with child welfare services.

About half of all licensed foster homes quit within one year, often citing lack of support.

About half of all licensed foster homes quit within one year, often citing lack of support.

Minority children are twice as likely to be placed in foster care.

Minority children are twice as likely to be placed in foster care.

% of children in foster care average 2+ placements per year for 3+ years.

of youth who have spent time in foster care are diagnosed with PTSD and/or other mental illnesses related to trauma.

of youth who have spent time in foster care are diagnosed with PTSD and/or other mental illnesses related to trauma.

Sources: Kids Count, bettercarenetwork.org., Casey Family Programs.

Sources: Kids Count, bettercarenetwork.org., Casey Family Programs.

Approximately 64% of children in foster care return to parents or relatives who often lack access to essential support.

Approximately 64% of children in foster care return to parents or relatives who often lack access to essential support.

HOW YOUR SUPPORT IS

changing the outcomes

FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

98% of the caregivers we served in 2022 (including licensed foster parents, kinship caregivers, and reunifed parents) said that the support they received from Foster Village Austin was a sustaining factor in their ability to continue caring for the children in their home.

Of those who considered closing their home to foster placements, nearly half cited Foster Village Austin as the reason why they were able to maintain placement and not have the child(ren) moved to another home or facility.

This is up considerably from years past thanks to your generosity and the deeper dive support we were able to provide this year.

JUST THIS YEAR IN AUSTIN, YOU HELPED US:

Fulfll more than 1,000 welcome pack requests (average welcome pack value: $500)

Provide holistic support (including case management, rent relief, transportation, food provision, parent education, and child care) to nearly 100 reunifying families

Provide therapeutic items and professional guidance for over 100 Project SOOTHe requests for children struggling with sensory processing challenges

Provide 96 hours of Caregiver Support groups, including meals and free childcare to over 200 children

Connect and grow in-home behavior intervention support with our Therapeutic Support Specialist, who worked with 39 families through ongoing weekly visits

Train, onboard, and mobilize 135 new volunteers in addition to our existing 300+ volunteers

AND YOU’RE NOT JUST MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN.

You’re helping foster families, kinship (relative) caregivers, and biological families surround these children with the support they need.

According to a survey sent to the hundreds of families we served this year:

• 82% of respondents said that community support has been very important during their time caring for the children in their home.

• 95% of respondents reported feeling more equipped, connected, and/or supported through our programs.

• Types of families served:

• Licensed Foster: 44% • Kinship: 35% • Reunifying: 21%

What an incredible year! And when we zoom out, we see the ripple efect a village of support can have on a city.

SINCE 2016, YOU’VE SERVED NEARLY 10,000 CHILDREN WITH YOUR GIFTS AND SUPPORT JUST IN AUSTIN!

2022 Updates

We know the needs of our children and families go beyond the immediate needs we can see, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Children end up in foster care because of abuse and neglect, and it’s through traumainformed healing that cycles are broken.

This year, we have taken major strides towards bringing more pieces of the puzzle together and expanding our therapeutic support programs for children who are in foster care, for caregivers, and for biological families who are trying to create healthier dynamics for themselves and their children.

FINISHING THE SUPPORT HUB

Built by the community from the ground up

While scrambling to create more space for the increased needs last year, God brought us a team to dig deeper and dream bigger. Countless volunteers, community partners, and supporters joined forces to build and outft our new Support HUB (Heal, Unite, & Belong). This space now serves as an easily accessible home base for our ongoing support services where kids and caregivers in need of help with relational and behavioral guidance have access to the quality care they need. Our team of trauma experts and other specialists are easily accessible at no charge to the families. And the Play Studio designed by our Child Development experts provides a safe space for kids to play and connect with caregivers and their birth families during visits. It serves as a child-friendly alternative to the more sterile CPS ofce environments and provides a warm and inviting place on the path toward family restoration and permanency.

A CAR FOR JORDAN

Equipping a special foster mom with reliable transportation

A recurring challenge for many of the families we serve is reliable transportation. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to give donated vehicles and funds for transportation where they are most needed, and one story in particular stood out this year.

Through a partnership with Austin Subaru and Riptide Society, we were able to come together for one amazing single foster mom, Jordan, who was in desperate need of reliable transportation for her growing family.

Jordan is a true child welfare advocate and provides a safe and loving home for many. She welcomes young children, teen parents with children, and those who have aged out of the foster care system. Her home is full of lots of little (and big) ones with appointments, visits, school, and work – all dependent on safe transportation to get everyone around. So, when we learned that her older vehicle was on its very last leg, we knew it was time to rally the village and get this mama a reliable car to ft all her people.

We are so grateful for this opportunity to band together with another local organization and business to ensure that this incredible foster mom can continue caring for these kids and young adults who depend on her!

GROWING THE VILLAGE IS SWEET

In celebration of our six-year anniversary in June, dozens of groups all around Austin hosted lemonade stands with proceeds benefting Foster Village. Participants purchased kits flled with lemonade stand goodies in addition to a kid-friendly business plan that we designed, along with a tip sheet on how to inform others about the needs in foster care.

The little philanthropists rallied their neighborhoods together to raise funds for their peers in foster care, and businesses did their part to give back as well. All together, this village raised $30,000 and spread awareness about the needs of children and families intersecting with the foster care system.

EMPOWERED CAMP LAUNCH

Helping the whole family heal from trauma together

We were honored to host Empowered Camp in March and October for the foster, adoptive, and kinship families in our Therapeutic Support program. We designed Empowered Camp as a therapeutic day camp modeled after The Hope Connection, the original Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) summer camp created by the late Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross.

During the day-long event, Foster Village team members trained caregivers in TBRI® principles designed to help the whole family heal from trauma together. Not only were caregivers provided practical help and support in behavior management, but they also got the chance to make friends with other caregivers who understand the unique journey of foster care. For many of them, it was the frst opportunity to build relationships with people who can relate to them as they navigate the joys and challenges of caring for children from hard places.

While the caregivers spent time together, the children made connections of their own. When families arrived at camp, each child, or Camper, was introduced to an adult volunteer, or Buddy, from our village of support. Each Buddy devoted the entire day to building a relationship with his or her Camper, and the pairs participated in sensory-rich, kid-friendly activities like water balloon battles, emotional regulation, and obstacle courses – one game even involved a six-foot beach ball – all for the purpose of connection. To wrap up the day, the Campers and Buddies created a scrapbook together to document their memories.

A village of lemonade stands raises $30,000…and the next generation of advocates

It was so helpful having the opportunity to share experiences and strategies with other parents who understand what we are going through…There were lots of ‘ah-ha’ moments for us! I left feeling encouraged and ready to tackle the challenges with skills and knowledge.

GROWING OUR PARTNERS IN PERMANENCY PROGRAM

Changing the way foster parents and biological parents experience foster care together

This year, we’ve grown our Partners in Permanency program to change the way foster parents and biological parents experience foster care together.

This program is designed to encourage teamwork and a healthy, ongoing relationship between foster and biological parents as children move toward permanency. Our new Permanency Support Specialist is leading us into the next chapter as we continue to expand this important piece of the family preservation puzzle.

And as we scale this model to best demonstrate the incredible outcomes we are already seeing, we’re continuing to help families navigate the sometimes-tricky transition between homes while encouraging healthy boundaries and communication. Our one-on-one guidance from our team helps foster and biological parents fnd ways to connect and support one another as they care for the children they both love, and our social workers help reunifying families navigate and secure much-needed resources such as afordable housing, reliable transportation, and dependable childcare through our available Family Grants and network of volunteers and church partners.

Through this holistic, relational approach, we are seeing biological parents fnd their own supportive village, break cycles of generational adversity, and ultimately, change the trajectory for their whole family.

CREATING THE VILLAGE VAULT

This year we were able to launch our highly anticipated “Village Vault,” an e-learning platform that has been a labor of love over the past couple of years. With this new technology, we are able to better onboard and train new afliate locations on how to replicate our model in their communities.

Our highest priority is mission integrity, and thanks to this new platform, we are able to streamline the process to ensure all of the teams behind our Foster Village locations grasp the heart of our mission as well as the nuts and bolts of best practices and our standard operating procedures. We’ve already had three new locations just this year go through the process of launching a Foster Village in their communities utilizing the new Village Vault with great success.

WE’RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE BUILDING OUT THIS PLATFORM WITH MORE LOCATIONS IN THE PIPELINE.

E-learning platform helps us scale our afliate program in more efcient ways while maintaining mission integrity

HOW WE ARE SERVING

children and families

Driven by the hope of seeing families break generational cycles of adversity, Foster Village bridges the gap between foster families, caregivers, and those who want to help. We meet practical needs and provide holistic support beyond the system in three primary ways:

EQUIPPING CAREGIVERS AND CHILDREN WITH SUPPORT

At Foster Village resource centers, families can get beds, car seats, clothing, school supplies, therapeutic tools, and other basic necessities – completely free. Each is uniquely chosen and assembled in a trauma-informed, home-like, developmentallyappropriate environment.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:

Project SOOTHe

For caregivers learning to support their child’s sensory processing needs, Project SOOTHe provides ways for them to learn more about how to calm not only their child’s nervous system, but their own nervous systems too.

5% of kids deal with sensory processing disorder, but an estimated 80% of kids with traumatic backgrounds experience challenges with sensory processing.

Oftentimes, they’re labeled “troublemakers” because their sensory processing needs aren’t understood, and therefore, aren’t met.

The good news is that meeting their unique needs can make all the diference.

Project SOOTHe is led by our team members who bring real-life experience to the table. We connect with caregivers to provide sensory objects like weighted blankets, swings, rockers, and other tools and coach them through the process of implementing sensory activities in their home.

Through Project SOOTHe, we also provide ongoing opportunities for caregivers to learn. We ofer training and sensory days in our therapeutic play studios designed by our team of child development experts for caregivers to connect with each other while the kids play.

CONNECTING CAREGIVERS TO SUSTAINING COMMUNITY

Foster, kinship, reunifying, and adoptive caregivers are navigating a complex system and challenges that are unique to foster care. By connecting them with other foster and adoptive families, biological families, and trusted experts, they are strengthened and empowered to continue the difcult and often isolating foster care journey.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:

Therapeutic Support

For caregivers looking for someone who can guide them through behavioral challenges related to complex trauma, we ofer ongoing, therapeutic coaching and resources.

Without the right support, foster and kinship families are more likely to stop fostering.

But, the good news is we can help sustain them. And so we do.

Our Therapeutic Support Specialist works with caregivers (licensed foster, kinship, post adoptive, and reunifying families) through the many behavioral challenges that can come with caring for children who have experienced abuse and neglect. Our team of TBRI® Practitioners, Child Development Experts, and social workers work directly with families at our resource centers and in homes, answering tough questions, ofering tips and resources for bonding and attachment, and customizing support to ft each family’s unique needs.

Through Therapeutic Support, we walk alongside every family toward healthier, more fulflling relationships.

Support Gatherings

For those caring for children in the foster care system, isolation is one of the most common challenges. Caregivers often feel alone and disconnected from others who “get it.”

At Foster Village, we bring these caregivers together for connection, fellowship, relief, and resources as they navigate the often complicated journey through the child welfare system.

Our collection of ongoing Support Gatherings is a welcoming place of respite for all of the caregivers we serve while providing a safe place to process, grieve, celebrate, learn, and grow together.

ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM

The reasons a child ends up in foster care are complex, which is why full-circle change is needed. At Foster Village, we work to elevate the voices of the children and families in the trenches and invite the community to be part of bridging the many gaps these families face. Together, we build awareness and access to the tools needed to end generational cycles of adversity. It takes all of us to create a better future for the next generation.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:

Partners in Permanency

Most people are surprised to hear that the majority of children who enter foster care will be reunifed with their biological parents or relatives. Historically, once children are reunited with their parents, many of the services and connections to resources stop, leaving the family in a lowsupport, high-risk scenario similar to the one they were in when the children were removed from their care.

Partners in Permanency helps families build safe and stable permanency after reunifcation by providing the healthy support system that was missing in the frst place. It is based on an ongoing, committed relationship between birth parents and foster parents in order to best care for the children they love.

Our Permanency Support Specialist helps everyone navigate the transition between homes and connects birth families to the services that can break cycles of generational adversity. The majority of the reunifying families that are referred to us are single mother households who are navigating barriers and risk factors related to poverty. Our trained social workers and volunteers help these mothers fnd sustainable solutions to common challenges including afordable housing, childcare, transportation, and job training.

The support that Foster Village provides is life-changing for those of us caring for kids from hard places. Not just the immediate tangible support, but the ongoing connection and tools that they continue to provide for the whole journey!

- FOSTER DAD

As a long-term foster mother, Foster Village has been a critical piece of my ability to continually say yes to children in need of a safe space during their time in foster care. Most of the children who have entered my home have come suddenly and with little to nothing with them. Foster Village jumps in and provides the items I need quickly in order to get through the initial days and stays for the long term. I can’t imagine our city without Foster Village, and I am so grateful for all of the support they have continued to provide!

- FOSTER MOM

Foster Village is the safe and loving family that I never had and dreamed of having for my kids.

- REUNIFIED MOTHER

There is no way I could have taken in my four grandchildren without the help of Foster Village and all they provided. And their ongoing trainings have helped me to understand the impact that trauma has had on our family and how we can heal from it. To say that Foster Village is an answer to prayer is an understatement.

- KINSHIP GRANDMOTHER

Your generosity is creating a new kind of village where everyone gets the support they need.

Children in foster care are bright, capable, and worthy. And when they, their caregivers, and their biological families are surrounded by the love they need to feel safe as well as the tools to be successful, they can:

• Break the cycle of trauma that leads to homelessness, incarceration, and addiction

• Heal from abuse and/or neglect, become resilient, and thrive in life

• Overcome adversity and reach their God-given potential

•

BUT NO ONE CAN BREAK GENERATIONAL CYCLES ALONE. THEY NEED A VILLAGE. THEY NEED US TO HELP END PATTERNS OF ADVERSITY AND ISOLATION.

Thanks to the village you have created, Foster Village is changing futures for generations to come.

But there are still thousands of vulnerable children and families around the nation that don’t have access to the village of support they need to break the cycles that keep them stuck in cycles of adversity. And we’re committed to changing that.

Your generosity will help us continue to expand the village and surround more children and families with a healing community of support.

IN 2023, YOUR GIFT WILL HELP US:

Continue to provide higher quality of care where it’s most needed

Begin the search and strategic planning phase for our long-term North Austin resource center to better meet the growing needs in and around that part of our city

Provide the therapeutic support and guidance families need to maintain safe and stable permanency

Ensure every child intersecting with child welfare has their basic needs met and is connected to a network of support within their own communities

Continue to grow and strengthen our programs to reach every child and family in need of our services –locally and nationwide

THIS IS WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER.

THIS IS THE

power of a vilage

Leadership you can trust.

All Foster Village board members and staf bring unique experience and child welfare expertise to this mission and over 60% have lived experience as foster parents, adoptive parents, kinship caregivers, and former foster youth.

100% of board members and staf have personally contributed their own time, talent, and treasure this year above and beyond their professional roles.

This mision is a caling for al of us.

Victoria

DIDN’T EVEN HAVE AN EMERGENCY CONTACT

Her upbringing had been so unstable, moving from foster home to foster home, that she didn’t even have someone she could trust to show up if she found herself in the hospital or in need of urgent care.

Which meant when it came to the day-to-day support we all need to get through life, Victoria was isolated and alone.

No one to help watch her son, Oliver, while she tried to fnish nursing school.

No one to pick him up from school if he was sick so she wouldn’t have to miss work.

No one to help with a down payment on a car or to ofer her a place to stay when they had to move suddenly.

Victoria was trying, but it was more than she could do on her own. Soon, Oliver was in foster care – a cycle Victoria understood all too well.

But thanks to people like you who have surrounded Victoria with a village of support, Oliver and Victoria’s story ends diferently.

Rita, Oliver’s foster mom, not only welcomed Oliver into her home when Victoria was in between jobs and housing, but she also connected Victoria with Foster Village’s Partners in Permanency program.

Rita understood that the best outcome for everyone was not just fnding Oliver a stable home, but breaking the generational cycles that put Victoria and Oliver in a desperate situation to begin with.

Through Partners in Permanency, Foster Village surrounded Victoria with life skills support and helped her navigate social services and budgeting to create a sustainable path to bring her son home.

We helped Victoria secure housing by paying her security deposit and rent when she was out of work for surgery and then when she got COVID. We were also able to get her a laptop – something lots of us take for granted – to continue her online schooling.

And Rita’s family is committed to Victoria too. She and her husband helped coordinate donated furniture and essentials to set up Victoria’s new apartment. They even celebrated her son’s frst birthday together.

Today, Victoria not only has an emergency contact…she has a family.

That family includes Rita, Foster Village, and YOU…you and every person who has volunteered, donated, fostered, and served to create a village around parents and children who needed someone in their corner.

People helping people is why our programs at Foster Village are changing the face of foster care and building a community beyond the system.

YOU CAN CREATE A

community of healing

FOR PEOPLE LIKE VICTORIA, RITA, AND OLIVER

It takes everyone working together to build a village…and it takes a village of healing to change lives today and tomorrow.

As a community, we can not only be there on the most desperate day of someone’s life, but we can also walk alongside vulnerable children and families for the long run as they work to create healthier, happier, brighter futures for themselves and generations to come.

THANK YOU

For being a family to the people in our community who need a family most and for your generous and compassionate gifts that allow this village to grow and thrive.

ONLINE: www.fostervillageaustin.org