What We Do
Safe Families for Children is a movement fueled by compassion to keep children safe and families intact. Through Host Families, Family Friends, and Family Coaches, we temporarily host children and provide a network of support to families in crisis while they get back on their feet. We open our hearts, open our arms, and open our homes.
In situations such as homelessness or a medical or mental health crisis, parents or guardians may be incapable of providing a safe and caring environment for their children, putting them at risk of abuse and neglect. Safe Families for Children provides much needed support for parents in crisis, giving them time to get back on their feet while their children are cared for in a safe and loving environment.
Volunteers who host children and support parents are known as Host Families and are recruited from a large network of faith communities. Families in crisis, or Families in need, willingly place their children with a safe, loving, and thoroughly screened volunteer Host Family for a short period of time. They can reunite with their children at any time. Both the Family in need and the Host Family participate voluntarily, with no compensation or expectation of adoption.
The trust built between the Family in need and Host Family is central to the Safe Families program. It’s at the heart of creating a safe haven for children and a support network for the Family in need. After the hosting arrangement ends, Safe Families’ goal is for the two families to remain in contact, further reducing social isolation and providing ongoing support. Our aim is to create lasting social capital for vulnerable families, creating family-like support that stabilizes families and breaks cycles of generational social isolation and trauma.
