CHEAT LAKE, W.Va. — The next steps for foster care discussed Wednesday at the 5th annual All In Foster Care Summit in Morgantown.
Chestnut Ridge Church Pastor Josh Rhodes said they have just about every foster and adoption group at the event, along with several local churches and members of the faith-based community. The goal of the event is to get the churches, agencies, groups, and families all pulling in the same direction to keep families together when possible. When conditions won’t allow children to remain in the home, Rhodes said one of these agencies will provide a safe place and, in many cases, a path back to the family.
“Because that is the theme today, we’re building this together,” Rhodes said to those gathered for the “Building the Way Together” Summit. “Not one group, not one church, not one family can do it it really takes all of us doing what we can.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey spoke at the summit.
Morrisey made clear the relationship between churches, families, and local agencies is where progress is made. The extent of the social issues can require different types of counseling, and while the government can help, the community is where most of the progress is made.
“I want to emphasize these are really deep social issues that have been going on for many decades, and to expect government to come in and do all if the work is ridiculous,” Morrisey said. “We need to have shared engagement.”
Under the Morrisey administration, the CarePortal program was pushed out to communities by the Department of Health and Human Services. The online system puts churches, agencies, and individuals in contact with those in need. The needs are satisfied within that community with little or no government intervention and most of the time quicker than the speed of government.
“Faith-based efforts work, community engagement works, and bringing people closer to communities works, and that’s what I’ve been pushing for,” Morrisey said.
Morrisey said he’ll continue work to get support for the Bring Them Home Fund. The $6 million budget request was not passed in the most recent legislature but would have repaired state-owned facilities to house foster children housed out-of-state. If passed, the plan would bring hundreds of foster children back to their home state.
“I think many people know I proposed the Bring Them Home Fund,” Morrisey said. “I thought that was the biggest thing we could get done during the last legislature, and I’m not going to be deterred because I know there’s a lot of support for it.”
Pastor Rhodes said this level of support from the governor is a boost for the morale of the caregivers working with children and families.
“As a pastor and foster parent, I was deeply inspired by the governor’s vision and commitment to collaborate with the faith community,” Rhodes said. “So, I’m very inspired by his comments today.”