Teens from hard places crave safety, acceptance, respect and unconditional love. They desire, and deserve, to be wanted and cherished just like infants and toddlers are in foster homes. There is a gap in many foster care programs for this age group due to the limited number of foster families willing to take placement of teenagers. Encourage is blessed to have some incredible foster families who have stepped up and said “yes” to teenagers. One of these families is the Walker

Encourage Foster Care provides trauma-informed training and supportive services to foster and foster-to-adopt families. We specialize in treatment foster care and prioritize sibling groups, older children, teens, and children with medical needs. Our heart is for these youth to experience safety and connection. When a child or teen needs emergency care due to a crisis in their home, placement with the child’s family member or a person whom the child knows (also known as kinshi

We recently shared a news article on the Encourage Facebook page about youth in foster care being housed at the Cuyahoga County Department of Job and Family Services. We asked Encourage Intake Coordinator Angel Sigler to share more about the critical need and how we can respond. I hear voices crying out about the need for more foster parents in our communities. Voices saying that there are not enough homes for children in need of safety. On one level this is true, but there’s

Throughout National Foster Care Month, we’re sharing “Blessings Found in Fostering.” We’ve asked Encourage families and staff to tell us what they’re learning and the God moments they’ve seen along the way. Today’s story of blessing comes from Courtney McConahay, one of our foster care coordinators. Courtney cheers on our foster youth wherever they are in the journey. I just have to brag on one of our foster teen boys. I was concerned about him at first, for building up his m

One of the greatest needs within foster care is homes for teenage youth. Providing them with a stable environment increases their likelihood of graduating high school and going on to college. Their home life experience may have been unstable, but that doesn’t decrease their God-given potential and dreams. Cordelia Crenshaw, the new Miss District of Columbia USA, grew up in the foster-care system. Her determination helped her achieve a strong education and she is now a social

We receive many inquiries from families who are looking to adopt an infant or a young child. We are so thankful that you are considering this option to give children a forever family and we will gladly provide you a list of agencies that would be able to help you on your journey. Our ministry focus at Encourage is fostering and foster to adopt. If you are looking to foster or foster to adopt and possibly take sibling groups, teens or children with medical needs than our agenc

One of Encourage’s greatest needs is foster homes for teenage foster children. Being a teenager is already hard enough. Imagine not having support and stability at home while you navigate hormones, school, relationships and a host of other moments and decisions as graduation gets ever closer. Imagine not having someone show you some of the things you took for granted like making mac and cheese, filling out a job application or learning how to drive. Imagine not having someone