Providing Foster Care for Unaccompanied Children

by | Jun 26, 2018 | Child Welfare, Refugees & Immigrants | 9 comments

We have been providing foster care for unaccompanied children and youth in need of safety and support here in the United States for more than 30 years. LCS Northwest has two programs that provide these services: Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) in Spokane and Refugees Northwest Foster Care in the Puget Sound area.

All children referred to our care have either crossed into the U.S. alone or were waiting in refugee camps where they had no families to care for them. We do NOT have any children in our care that were forcibly separated from their families at the border. In fact, extensive family tracing efforts are conducted for all youth before they are referred to us, and reunification is a top priority throughout their time in care here.

All youth in these two programs are in our long-term care as the government has found they cannot return home because of grave fear of harm and/or persecution. We work with these youth so that they can heal, thrive, and enrich communities with their many gifts and talents.

Many people have reached out to ask how they can help and support these children. Both URM and Refugees Northwest Foster Care need foster parents. Let us know if you are interested in becoming a foster parent, and pass the word on to any friends or family who might also be interested. If being a foster parent isn’t your thing, please donate to support our foster care efforts. Be sure to note “refugee foster care” in the Gift Designation section of the form.

9 Comments

  1. Jorge Herrero

    My wife and I are interested in fostering, we live in Austin, TX
    I am writing to you because I am hoping to forster children who have not been forcibly removed from their parents.
    Can you help us.

    • Kaylee Kolditz

      Jorge
      Hi! I actually lived in Austin for 19 years and just moved to Philly to be able to foster unaccompanied minors. Austin is not one of the cities that has this program. Ft. Worth and Houston do. There are 18 cities across the US where you can foster unaccompanied asylum-seeking/refugee children. I manage a network for ministries that help unaccompanied children and I’m happy to help connect you with folks in the US who can provide more info. I’m actually co-facilitating a workshop this Friday in Chicago about refugee foster care. Please check out our website and drop me an email: http://www.refugeeconnect.com/Unaccompanied-Minors

  2. Paola Chalarca

    Hello, I leave in Orlando Florida and will love to help foster one of the many kids that are in need of a home. I will need info as to how to go about it and who do I need to cantact.
    Thank you

    • Louise McGrody

      Please contact our national affiliate, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) at [email protected] or 1-877-291-1061 to be directed to a program that is working near you.

  3. Rachel Straulemann

    Do you know of organizations in Portland, OR?

    • Louise McGrody

      Please contact our national affiliate, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) at [email protected] or 1-877-291-1061 to be directed to a program that is working near you.

  4. Lisa Davila

    I live in Portland Oregon and am interested in fostering children who are currently living in detention centers at the border. How can I start this process?

  5. Ellyn Lavine

    Looking for help in Orlando, FL. My niece through marriage (divorced) is in need of a foster/sponsor. She is a United States citizen living in Beirut, Lebanon. Tensions in the Middle East rising. Shiite Hezbollah have made their presence known..

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