Nonprofit for foster kids moves to Annandale
UMFS, a statewide nonprofit that provides services to at-risk children, relocated its Northern Virginia office last week to a space inside the Annandale United Methodist Church on Columbia Pike.
The organization helps find foster parents for children who’ve been removed from their birth parents, trains foster parents to help children who’ve experienced trauma, and helps foster parents adopt the children in their care.
The move to Annandale will allow UMFS to deepen its connection with the community, says Deborah Burton, vice president of community-based services. The office was formerly located in leased commercial space on Shawnee Road in Lincolnia.
The Northern Virginia branch of UMFS also has an office in Fredericksburg. Together, the two offices are currently serving 17 foster kids. “We’re looking to expand,” Burton says. Her goal is to increase that to 50.
The foster kids served by UMFS are typically aged 10 and older, she says. They end up in foster care because they’ve been abused or neglected at home.
The Virginia Department of Social Services refers foster children to UMFS – at the rate of about three or four a day, Burton says. There aren’t enough people willing to become foster parents, so she urges anyone who might be interested in learning more to contact the organization.
The organization, formerly known as United Methodist Family Services, is no longer officially owned by the United Methodist Church but retains partnerships with individual churches.
“Moving into Annandale United Methodist Church allows us to get back to our roots,” says Laura Giunta, director of UMFS NOVA. The new location “puts us in front of more families and allows us to better serve our local community.”
Buton hopes UNFS will be able to collaborate with the church on community events and other activities when appropriate.
After matching kids with potential foster parents, UMFS conducts a home study, trains the parents on how to deal with kids who’ve been through traumatic experiences, and provides services to the kids as they transition back to their birth parents.
The nonprofit’s goal is to reunite the kids with their birth parents unless the parents’ rights have been terminated by a court. They also help foster parents adopt children who can’t be returned home.
“There are times when the families get really attached to the kids. If the child wants to return home, we do everything to ensure the birth and foster parents remain part of the child’s life,” Burton says.
To become a foster parent, an individual doesn’t need to be married or have been a parent, she says. They do have to be 21 or older, be able to take care of their financial needs, and “have the desire to truly help a child who has experienced trauma.”
The training consists of 32 hours of combined in-person and virtual sessions on how to parent children who’ve experienced grief and loss, abuse, or otherwise need special services.
Foster parents get a stipend of about $1,000 a month, although the amount varies based on the child’s needs. Foster children’s healthcare is covered by Medicaid.
Foster children age out of the program at age 18 – or 21 if they’re still in school. UMFS participates in a state-funded program, Project Life, that helps former foster children gain independent living skills. Burton says the program helps youths, beginning at age 15, learn how to apply for a job and get into a community college or a career training program.
Some foster parents maintain the relationship and allow the kids to continue living at home even if they don’t formally adopt them, she says.
“We are an agency that has an amazing philosophy to serve the community and would like to collaborate with others in the community to meet the needs of children,” Burton says.
She encourages anyone interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent – or helping in other ways – to fill out a form on the UMFS website or call the office at 855-367-8637.