Showing posts with label foster care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foster care. Show all posts

Back-to-school support for youth in foster care through Treehouse

Wednesday, July 26, 2023


SEATTLE, WA – Treehouse, Washington’s leading nonprofit supporting youth in foster care, has announced the start of their back-to-school drive season. 

They are welcoming shoppers and processing funding requests for the next school year. Donations are welcome any time of the year but are especially critical during the summer and into fall as youth and their caregivers get ready for the new school year.

“Over 23,000 items were given away during last year’s back to school season, and 50% of those items came from donation drives,” said Victoria Kutasz, Resources and Operations Director at Treehouse. 
“With the public’s support, we are able to meet the need, and this year, we anticipate an even greater need now that the eligibility for Treehouse programs has expanded to all school-aged youth in Washington state.”

Treehouse’s school-aged programs opened their eligibility to all youth in foster care across the state on April 3, 2023 making thousands more youth eligible to shop in the Treehouse Store or place funding requests for such expenses as school fees and extracurricular activities.

Individuals, companies and community organizations can support youth experiencing foster care this summer in a variety of ways.

The simplest way to help is to purchase items from their Amazon wish list at treehouseforkids.org/wishlist
This list is kept up to date with the items most requested by youth and their caregivers.

In 2022, over 1,000 youth and their caregivers statewide were supported during July and August through in-person shopping, fulfilling online orders, processing funding requests and popup shops.

In addition to the more than 23,000 items were given away through the Treehouse Store, Just-in-Time Funding approved 810 requests totaling almost $142,000. The requests ranged from extracurricular activities and school fees to personal care and technology.

About Treehouse

Treehouse envisions — and strives to create — a world where every child who has experienced foster care has the opportunities and support they need to pursue their dreams and launch successfully into independence. 

We directly support and work alongside more than 6,000 youth in foster care in Washington State, as well as their caregivers, educators, school administrators, and social workers, to ensure each young person has an individualized plan and network. 

We also advocate for systems-level change, informed by our on-the-ground expertise. Through direct programs and advocacy, Treehouse is uniquely positioned to close the opportunity gap and positively change the outcomes of youth who have experienced foster care.



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YMCA expands foster care work with free memberships for kids

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

“No child chooses to go into foster care,” said Loria Yeadon, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle. “But we can make foster care a better experience for our children who need us most.”

The Y is expanding its foster care services by offering King County kids in foster care free memberships at any of their locations. The Y has 13 branches throughout King County, with a new location opening in Kent this fall.

Shoreline has the Dale Turner YMCA 19290 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline 98133

This announcement builds upon the Y’s long history of licensing and supporting foster care families.

For over 30 years the Y has offered foster parent training, behavioral health counseling, cultural competency training, and 24-hour crisis consultations.

The Y also combats homelessness, a problem that affects one in three young adults exiting foster care, by offering free case management and housing resources.

Parents who choose to foster through the Y receive free memberships, child care during workouts, access to Parents Night Out program, weight loss and disease prevention programs and so much more. The Y offers income based pricing so that no family is ever turned away.

“Two years ago we celebrated 30 years as a licensed child placing agency. We’ve learned a lot about the best ways to build our foster care community and provide support for foster families. Offering free memberships ensures all kids and families have the resources and opportunities for healthy, thriving lives,” explained Yeadon. 
“Further we are always looking for partners who can help us do even more.”
Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline
Photo courtesy YMCA


Learn how you can support the Y's foster care program and details about a foster care membership online.

The YMCA of Greater Seattle is the Northwest’s leading nonprofit organization strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Founded in 1876, the Y reaches more than 253,000 people of all backgrounds, abilities and financial circumstances annually through 13 branches, two overnight camps and more than 200 program sites throughout King and south Snohomish counties. It nurtures more than 142,000 kids and teens to develop their gifts and give back to our community and engages thousands of volunteers who contribute hundreds of thousands of service hours each year.

About the Y’s Foster Care Program
The YMCA of Greater Seattle has been a licensed child placing agency for over 30 years, providing holistic support to youth in foster care and their foster families. The Y also provides services for youth aging out of foster care, helping them with the transition into adulthood through case management support to find housing, graduate from school, and secure employment. In 2018, 504 youth and young adults were served through the Y’s foster care program.



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Foster youth receive college scholarships

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Foster youth receiving college scholarships

From Rep. Ruth Kagi

29 foster youth received the Washington State Governor’s Scholarship started by Governor Gary Locke. With the help of Treehouse and the College Success Foundation, these youth overcame many barriers to graduate from high school and be accepted into college. Congratulations and best wishes for their success!



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Foster Cafe Thursday - learn about being a foster parent

Saturday, May 12, 2018


Come have a cup of coffee with Laurie from Family Builders and learn about foster care. She will be at One Cup Coffee in Shoreline 16743 Aurora Ave N from 10am to noon on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

FamilyBuilders is part of Lutheran Community Services.



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Lutheran Community Services recruiting foster parents in Shoreline

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

There is a severe shortage of foster parents
Photo courtesy Lutheran Community Services
Lutheran Community Services has made it their goal to help the foster care crisis by getting more foster homes.

If you have ever considered being a foster parent, Lutheran Community Services will have a staff person hosting a drop in event on the third Thursday of each month at One Cup Coffee at 16743 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133, from 10am to 12pm.

The first drop in will be Thursday, February 15, 2018. Then March 15, April 19, and continuing on the third Thursday of each month.


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Fostering Futures: Foster Care, Adoption & Advocacy Forum at St. Luke School

Tuesday, February 21, 2017


Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 7-9pm, St. Luke Parish Auditorium, 322 N 175th St, Shoreline, 98133.

There is an increase in the number of foster children yet a decrease in the number of foster homes in Washington State.

The number of foster children in Washington State is higher than the number of all children enrolled in the Shoreline Public School District K-12 (10,000 foster children compared to approximately 8,000 registered students in Shoreline).

There are 1,300-1,500 foster children waiting for a foster home in King County alone.

St. Luke Catholic Parish in Shoreline is hosting an information session sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle to inform the public about how to help foster children in our community through volunteer opportunities, temporary and long term foster parenting, and adoption.

The event is free and open to the public. We welcome people from any religious background.

Register for the information session



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Performance audit: what is the level of support for families who adopt children from foster care

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Today, the Washington State Auditor’s Office published a performance audit of Washington’s program to support families who adopt children from foster care.
  
The audit team surveyed parents in the program and while most said they do not need services beyond what the state already offers, some families said they cannot get all the services they require, especially for the children with the greatest needs. Many parents also had problems finding information about services in their communities.
  
“Foster children are among the most vulnerable of Washingtonians,” State Auditor Troy Kelley said in releasing the audit. “It is important that the state supports families who give these children a permanent home through adoption.”
  
To help state leaders find ways to improve that support, the State Auditor’s Office reviewed eight states that provide additional services for adoptive families. The audit report provides information on those efforts.
  
“I hope this information is valuable to state agencies, policy makers, and the public,” Kelley said, “and we welcome your comments, and suggestions for future performance audits.”
  
You will find this report on the agency homepage.


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Shoreline family featured in Seattle Times story about new limits to Medicaid

Monday, April 18, 2011

A Shoreline family is featured in a front-page story in The Seattle Times. Karen and Bruce Smith are long-time foster parents, who specialize in medically fragile children. They have biological children, adopted children, and foster children, and are leaders in the loose alliance of foster care families in the area.

The story is about the state budget cuts to Medicaid, emergency room visits, and the potential for harm for children currently covered by Medicaid.

The story by reporter Carol Ostrom "Doctors: State plan to limit Medicaid ER trips risks lives" tells how a list created by a researcher who intended to "help officials find out where patients have trouble accessing primary care and help figure out if particular programs work well" will be used to limit conditions that would be covered under Medicaid.

"The state's plan to cut Medicaid would limit visits for potentially serious conditions such as breathing trouble and more.

Medicaid officials say the vast majority of Medicaid patients visit an ER — for any reason — no more than twice a year. Only about 2 percent — mostly adults — visit four or more times.

Some of Karen Smith's children have been in that 2 percent.

She and her husband, Bruce, residents of Shoreline, have had a lot of children — biological, adopted and fostered, including "medically fragile" kids. Medicaid covers foster children and those adopted later.

As her children were growing up, Smith said, she often couldn't tell what was an emergency and what could wait.

And she's a nurse.

"This is scary for me," Smith said. "I can't imagine how it's going to be for parents who have no medical background to decide, 'Is my child sick enough to go to the emergency room?' "

Taiana, her first adopted child, was born with sickle-cell anemia — an excluded condition on the list but one that could qualify as an exception.

For sickle-cell crises, including two strokes, Taiana was treated in the ER 21 times by age 2 — often at night.

"You have nowhere else to go," Smith said. "They need to open up 24-hour walk-in clinics. That's where they have to find a way to fill in the gap, if they're going to cut down on the ER visits.""


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Community groups rally around children of local families in crisis

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

By Allison Barrett
More children were removed from their homes by Child Protective Services (CPS) in the 98133 zip code than in any other zip code in King County. 

According to a report produced by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), 72 children were removed from the area, which spans a section of North Seattle and the city of Shoreline, in 2009.

As is true for many kids put into foster care, most of these children were placed in homes outside of the zip code, leaving behind the familiarity of their neighborhood, school and friends.

Children removed from their homes in 98133*
*Maps produced by data provided by DSHS. The locations for home removals and placements were adjusted to allow for confidentiality.
  • Blue square indicates homes where children were removed
  • Red dot indicates where children where placed
Of the 72 children removed from their homes in 98133, nine (12.5%) remained in the zip code.

Teachers, foster parents, heads of various local health and safety networks, CPS and DSHS administrators have joined together in monthly meetings at Parkwood Elementary School in Shoreline to build community solutions to this high rate of removal.

The alliance of so many community members and resources came about in an effort to “attack” the problem and “think about proactive steps that we could take collaboratively,” said Laura Ploudré, principal of Parkwood Elementary.

Ploudré recounts the story of a young boy who arrived at her school after being removed from his home located several hours away from Shoreline. In a meeting she had with the boy and his social worker a week or so after his arrival, the boy asked them: “please let my best friend know where I am. I didn’t have a chance to tell him where I went.”

That encounter provided the impetus for Ploudré to pursue better options for children brought into the foster care system.   “I want to see if I can prevent that from happening to a Parkwood student,” she said.

One of the options that coalition members are working to develop is something called “suitable adult placement.” Under Washington State law, children removed from their homes can be placed with a “suitable adult,” someone like a friend of the family or a teacher who has a relationship with the child and passes a background check. This temporary placement can give social workers extra time to find a longer-term foster home within the child’s school district. The child is given the chance to maintain some semblance of routine.

When kids are removed from their home, it’s just like cutting off their hand. Their whole lives get disrupted,” said Cathy Liu Scott, who attends the monthly meetings at Parkwood Elementary. “They rarely stay in the same school and the same neighborhood.”

Scott provides respite care for foster families, opening up her home to foster children on the weekends and offering foster parents a break from what can be a demanding commitment. Scott lives in Shoreline and the children who visit her sometimes come from foster homes as far away as Renton.

“Sometimes foster kids don’t have anything tying them to anybody or anything,” she said. She keeps a stash of disposable cameras ready for the kids who come to stay with her. They take pictures over the weekend and then she makes sure to get the photos developed before they leave.

“That way they can remember that they had this experience,” Scott said. “They can have something that connects themselves to their history.”

For those involved in the meetings at Parkwood Elementary, giving children who have been removed from their homes the chance to remain in the community is one component of a multi-pronged approach. Another important aspect involves finding ways to support families in crisis, either to help the family keep their child in the home, or to expedite the reunion between child and family.

The Parkwood Project plays a significant role in the collaborative effort. When families that fall within the catchment area for Parkwood Elementary School have been referred to CPS, The Parkwood Project can take their case.

Tamara Piwen heads the project as a “community navigator,” working to link families to the resources they need. Piwen has worked at the Center for Human Services in Shoreline for nine years and has a wide repertoire of social and health resources at her fingertips.

“Shoreline has really got a lot of resources for families,” she said. “In comparison to the big picture, Shoreline is probably one of the better resource areas.”

Piwen and her interns from the School of Social Work at the University of Washington help families develop and follow a plan, one that often includes court-mandated requirements.

“You’re trying to navigate families through systems and connect them to resources so they can keep their child, get their child back early, or just get their child back period,” she said.

The Parkwood Project has been operating since June of 2010. It’s still in its early stages, but Piwen believes they’ve seen heartening results.

“Just with the cases we’ve been involved with we’ve seen a big difference with families working really hard to keep their kids and feeling, I think, like they are being supported.”

Allison Barrett is a journalism student at the University of Washington and an intern with the ShorelineAreaNews.

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