BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
Children’s Homes of Iredell is celebrating the addition of two new programs designed to help the teens and young adults served by the nonprofit.
Children’s Homes’ facility on East Water Street will house the workforce development and foster care programs.
Jean Foster, foster care recruitment and grants coordinator, and Carter Smith, who is heading the workforce development program, said these new programs will help foster children in several ways.
Smith said the workforce development program is in its infant stages. “We’re taking baby steps,” she said.
Foster said the program is developing. “We’re having to invent the wheel,” she said.
The nonprofit plans to coordinate with employers in the hopes of providing internships and/or jobs for individuals ages 16 to 21 who are in foster care.
Smith said those in foster care face unique challenges in terms of seeking employment. They may not have reliable or any transportation and, due to varied circumstances, may not have the knowledge or skills to know what resources are available.
Since the program literally just opened its doors, Smith said, she is looking for ideas from a variety of sources to help the teens and young adults they serve. “There are lots sof programs out there and lots of resources,” she said.
Smith said she is also hoping to enlist the assistance of the public in putting together ideas for providing employment. And getting these young people into the workforce means more than just a job, she said. It will give them a path to success.
“If people have any ideas we’d love to hear them,” she said.
Smith said she plans to be available at the office at 134 E. Water Street on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Foster said recruiting families to serve as fosters will also be a part of the new facility.
Foster families are desperately needed in Iredell County and across the state.
“There are 11,000 kids in foster care in North Carolina and there are about 5,000 foster homes,” she said.
The number of foster children in Iredell fluctuates but at last count, at the end of 2024, there were 174.
Due to the lack of homes, many are placed outside of Iredell County and that makes the goal of foster care — to reunify the child with the family — difficult.
“If there is a child from Iredell but we have to put them in Union County, it’s much more difficult to reunify,” she said.
Foster said she’s planning a full-court press, using whatever means she can, to get the word out about the need for foster families. “I’m willing to talk to churches, organizations. I’ll do a presentation for anybody,” she said.
She said she plans to coordinate with the school systems as well since frequently educators step up to become foster parents.
Like Smith, Foster said, she welcomes calls seeking information on becoming a foster parent.
LEARN MORE
To contact Foster or Smith, call 704-872-2289.