Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Article: April 18, 2009
Faces of Hope | Felicia Thomas-Lynn
Faith-based group will offer homes to children in need
By FELICIA THOMAS-LYNN
Posted: Apr. 18, 2009
Safe Families for Children
Mission: To strengthen families to care for children and care for children when families cannot.
Address: 7210 N. 76th St.
Phone: (414) 760-2332 Ext. 1250
Web site:
www.safe-families.org
Theresa Scott's northwest side home is modest, but there's plenty of space, especially in her heart, to temporarily take in a child whose family has fallen on hard times.
"I've always wanted to help anyone in need, especially children," said Scott, whose family will be one of the first in Milwaukee to participate in Safe Families for Children, a volunteer, faith-based organization that serves as an alternative to government-run child welfare systems.
The new local organization will allow parents who are experiencing temporary crises to arrange for their children's care within a network of safe families while they get their lives together without worry about losing custody of their sons or daughters.
"The intent is to intervene in families early before something bad happens to a child," said David Anderson, a child psychologist who founded the Chicago-based organization in 2002.
"It doesn't make sense to have something bad to occur in order to offer a safe place for children, but that's the way child welfare systems are set up across the country."
The Safe Families concept is rapidly spreading to locations across the nation, including Atlanta, Indianapolis, and cities in Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, South Carolina and California.
Its expansion into the Milwaukee area was made possible through a $50,000 grant from Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network.
"It's exciting," said Johnnie Morris, who oversees the Milwaukee operation under the auspices of the Good Hope Economic Development Corp., the development arm of Christian Faith Fellowship Church. "We are only weeks away from starting."
So far, she said, the program has enlisted 40 families that have already undergone extensive background checks and interviews. Its goal is to recruit a total of 150 families.
"We want to make sure we have a sufficient amount of families in place. There are so many kids who need someplace safe," said Morris, a former state representative. "We are in unusual times."
She said the economic downturn had made it difficult even for middle-class families who have had job losses or are displaced by foreclosure. It also helps families facing short-term emergencies such as hospitalization or respite care.
Morris said families seeking assistance sign over temporary guardianship of the children to host families.
But, unlike foster care, the government is not involved. The goal of Safe Families, she said, is to reunite children, from newborn to 16 years old, with their biological parents once they can provide a more stable environment.
"The concept of the program is great. It could reduce the stress level in families that could lead to abuse or neglect. It has nothing to do with you being a good or bad parent. Just having an alternative is good," said Pat McManus, executive director of the Black Health Coalition, which serves teenage mothers, single parents and victims of
domestic violence.
"The way the (government) system is set up, it leans more on the law and not on trying to support the families. Once kids are taken, it's hard to get them back. The barriers are unbelievable," McManus said. "This will help families not get in the system in the first place."
In Chicago, Safe Families has 500 volunteers, mostly recruited from area churches, and has taken in close to 1,500 children for an average stay of 44 days, Anderson said.
He said at least half of the organization's referrals come from the Illinois child welfare system for kids who have not yet become wards of the state.
Erika Monroe-Kane, communications director for the state Department of Children and Families, commended the group's efforts, although she said it is too early to tell what kind of involvement the state Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare will have with the new organization.
"We're always excited to see community involvement in the health and well-being of Milwaukee families. We welcome and appreciate the efforts of faith-based communities," she said. "They are a critical resource in supporting families and protecting children."
Volunteer host families participating in the program do not receive compensation.
"When you remove coercion and money out of the equation, there really ends up being a positive relationship between the placement family and the host family," said Anderson, who also is executive director of Safe Families' parent organization, LYDIA Home Association. "It really has become a movement of compassion."
Scott, a housing counselor who works with clients facing foreclosure, said she sees the need up close.
"These are families who have hit on hard times," she said. "Our house is not that large, but I do have a room for a child to stay for a short period of time. I feel it in my heart to help someone in need."
Faces of Hope focuses on Milwaukee-area people who need a hand and the agencies that are helping them. If you have story ideas, e-mail Felicia Thomas-Lynn at
or call (414) 224-2073.