Olive Crest Gets Grant To Help End Shortage Of Foster Parents

SEATTLE, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Seattle area is facing a critical shortage of foster parents, which means that at-risk children are not being welcomed into families in a timely manner.  However, an anonymous foundation is coming forward to help solve this complex problem.  This group will fund the recruiting and training of some 1,600 additional foster care families over the next three years.  A portion of the funding will go to Olive Crest.

"For Olive Crest, this extremely generous grant means we will double the number of foster care families we can train and certify.  This will bring us to nearly 800 foster families working with Olive Crest over the next three years," says Jeff Judy, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Division of Olive Crest.

Nicole Moore knows very well the importance of foster care families being available.  "I am a former foster child who did not fall through the cracks because Olive Crest took care of me," Moore says.  "I entered the foster care system because my parents were drug addicts that would do anything for more drugs including hurting me out of their extreme, drug-fueled frustration.  When I entered the foster care system I went through about 10 foster homes before I was, at last, placed with an Olive Crest family."

"Olive Crest really did take good care of me!  They checked in on me regularly to make sure I was safe with my foster family.  They took me on outings and offered me emotional support when I needed it.  Olive Crest found my forever family.  My adoption was official in June 2006."

Olive Crest estimates it costs an average of $3,500 to recruit and train a foster family.  The licensing process takes about 4 months.  Currently Olive Crest in the Pacific Northwest has just over 400 licensed foster care homes.  With the additional funding, Olive Crest will be able to add 400 more licensed homes over the next three years.

"We welcome families interested in exploring the process of becoming foster families," Judy said.  "They can learn a lot of what they need to know to get started through our website or they are welcome to call us for information.  It is an extraordinarily rewarding experience which can make all the difference in the life of a child.  Both children and their foster parents can grow by leaps and bounds from this experience."

About Olive Crest

Since 1973, Olive Crest has transformed the lives of more than 100,000 abused, neglected, and at-risk children and their families.  The organization works tirelessly to meet the individual needs of kids in crisis by providing safe homes, counseling, and education for both youth and parents.  

Olive Crest's many innovative programs reflect a conviction that strengthening the family is the most powerful way to help heal children.  With unwavering compassion, the Olive Crest family maintains a lifelong commitment to the youth and the families it serves even after they have graduated from the organization's programs.

Olive Crest serves over 3,500 children and families each day throughout California, Nevada, and the Pacific Northwest.  For information, call 800-550-CHILD (2445) or 425-462-1612 or visit www.olivecrest.org/pn.  

SOURCE Olive Crest

Related Links

http://www.olivecrest.org