With one month into the new year, we are pleased to share stories of our children moving in the direction of bright and promising futures. Whether children are reunited with parents or family members, adopted, or settled into Village life where they have access to programs and services to help them through the transition of being in foster care; each milestone represents a level of progress in their lives.
REUNITED
After living at SOS for two years, a sibling group of three boys aged 12, 10, and 7, along with their little sister who is 5 years old, have been reunited with their mother. Sometimes the process of family reunification is rocky, and this mom had a few setbacks, but her love for her children and perseverance paid off. The family has two older children who are part of our Next Steps program which provides services for young adults who age out of foster care at age 18.
ADOPTED
Two brothers ages 5 and 7 years old are in the process of being adopted by a couple in Orlando, Florida. The boys were born into foster care and lived in two foster homes prior to coming to SOS two years ago. The adoption process began with visitation in April 2023 and will be finalized shortly in upcoming months. Children are placed for adoption when parental rights have been terminated and there are no opportunities for them to be placed with relatives. After a tumultuous start on life, we join the family in celebration of many years of love, caring, and everlasting bonds to come.
LGBTQIA2S+
We welcomed out first transgender female child aged 14, to SOS Children’s Villages. She joined us along with her two sisters. They had been in shelter for two years prior, as placement was a challenge for them due to victimization and rejection based on the transgender sister’s gender identity. We are excited to embrace diversity here at SOS, and the girls will receive on site mental health therapy, and our transgender resident will be connected to additional resources through SunServe, a Broward County based organization helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth by offering social programming, support groups, and other resources.
According to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization focusing on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. LBGTQ youth, who had been in foster care had nearly four times greater odds of being kicked out, abandoned, or running away due to treatment based on their LBGTQ identity compared to those who were never in foster care.
US RESIDENCY
The challenges of being in foster care are compounded when a child’s residency or immigration status comes into play. In the case of our 17-year-old twin brother and sister, after residing in the United States for years without proper residency in place, we are pleased to share that they are now eligible to work. This is exciting for the twins as one has sights set on a car detailing business, and the other is planning to work with Career Source through their Summer Youth Employment program.
