| NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FAMILY CENTER: FOSTER FAMILY PROGRAM | |
| You can help | |
| Tommy kept getting into arguments about coming home after school. He is 13 and thinks he should be able to stay out more. So he got mad and ran away. Now he is on the street, scared, hungry, and cold. He needs a safe home like yours to rest while giving our counselors a chance to help him and his parents learn to talk with each other again. | |
| The Northern California Family Center needs special people just like you, with a little extra space in their home and the ability to relate to youth. We provide short-term shelter and a caring environment for children in need. There are all types of Crisis Home families; those with children, couples without children, families whose children have grown, working couples and singles. | |
Many of the young people in the program have histories of abuse and neglect. They need an adult like you who cares. |
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| What’s involved | |
| Crisis Home families provide short-term shelter to youths 9-17 years of age. Foster placements can range between 1 to 15 nights, but are generally less than 5 nights. | |
| Foster families are never required to accept a youth, our agency works with their schedule. | |
| Northern California Family Center provides training, and financial reimbursement. Every third saturday of each month, NCFC has an Orientation and Training Meeting for prospective foster parents. There are spaces available for our May 21st meeting, please call or write to reserve your space now. Contact information is listed below. | |
| Eligibility Requirements | |
| Crisis Home Foster Families must be able to provide a safe, and friendly family environment for youths, ages 9 to 17, who are experiencing crisis while NCFC counselors work with the youth and family to reunite them, or develop mutually agreed upon alternatives. They must: | |
| · Possess
the ability to relate effectively to and adequately supervise youth · Have space to temporarily house one or more young people · Possess the ability to be licensed by the NCFC as a Foster Family · Pass child abuse and criminal background checks |
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| Together we can make a difference.... | |
| If your family is ready for a rewarding experience or if you would like to receive further information, please contact the Northern California Family Center. | |
| telephone: 925.370.1990 or 1.800.718.4357 | |
| email: fosterinfo@ncfc.us | |
| mail: | |
| Northern California Family Center | |
| 2244 Pacheco Blvd. | |
| Martinez, California 94553 | |
| or click here to fill out an online application form. | |
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NCFC provides a series of "Art Books" for the young people that come to stay with us, here are just a few of the messages. |
| Please click here to view a collection of the artwork and poetry. | |
| "I miss my beautiful baby girl, who turned 3 years old on September 10th. She was born in Arizona, she lives with her father right now, and I am homeless, but NCFC is helping. I thought that nobody could ever help me but myself, because I've never met my family, just my mom. And she decided 5 or 6 months ago that she no longer wanted me as a daughter, so, thank you NCFC for the safe place, and all your help" | |
| -Jen | |
| "I'm here because my Mom and me got in a dumb argument and she kicked me out and took all my stuff. In a hour my life will change...I hope it's for the better." "I realize that people have it worse than me but you never know how it is until you live it. Don't' join a gang. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Trust in that." | |
| -Mitchell | |
| “My parents and I got to the point that we were so angry we just couldn't talk; so I ran away. My counselor at school gave me Northern California Family Center’s number…” | |
| -Runaway, age 14 | |
| "I love my parents I just wish that they would talk to me like I am a person, not a child" | |
| -Runaway, 2002 | |