Help Pandemic Victims in the Foster Care Community
How can you help pandemic victims in the foster care community? This is a question that many people have asked and believe us when we say, there is some work to do.
We are happy to report that so many states and organizations are working on offering more support. But the reality is that the needs are high and growing. Here are 4 ways you can help pandemic victims in the foster care community right now.
1. Get Involved with Fostering
The longterm solution is creating a larger pool of new foster homes. Many older and immune-compromised caregivers are limiting their foster care support due to their health risks. Even if you can only provide respite care or mentor through CASA type programs. Having more familiar support can help pandemic victims in foster care directly.
2. Donate Food and PPE
One simple thing you can do to help is to donate cooked meals, food gift care, or PPE to foster families or groups that support families. Foster Love - Together We Rise has been able to do both, thanks to donors. While a meal may not seem like a lot. For many impacted by the pandemic, food is an expense that has increased.
3. Provide Housing for Displaced Former Foster Youth
One of the scariest impacts the pandemic has had on the foster care community is the housing displacement of college students formally in care. When schools shut down in March and April, it left thousands of former foster youth scrambling to find housing.
Nearly 1/4 of former foster youth report becoming homeless within one year of emancipation, Foster Love - Together We Rise had to help stop this. We created a program for people to offer up a room for students in their area that lost dorm housing. Learn how to help on this front HERE.
4. Donate Money
The fastest way to help pandemic victims in the foster care community is to donate funds. Since March, Foster Love - Together We Rise has been working on initiatives to help support the foster care community through COVID. The first being our COVID Emergency Response program focused on the current needs of the community. If you are serious about helping in an immediate way please donate HERE.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, the pandemic continues to expose more cracks within the foster care community. We implore you to join us on these efforts as the threat of the virus lingers.
