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Isaiah 117 House Is a Soft Place for Foster Children To Land
Removal day–the day a foster child enters the system–is always traumatic. Authorities take a child away from the only family they have ever known. Even if that family has been neglectful or abusive, the child still faces an unknown future.
But there are ways to lessen the trauma. Traditionally, children are taken from their homes to the Department of Child Resources offices, where they are processed and wait for a foster placement. They may be sitting there all day and sometimes all night.
Organizers and volunteers broke ground on the Sumter County Isaiah 117 House late last summer.
The founders of Isaiah 117 House set out to change that, engaging with communities looking to establish a place of peace for kids entering the foster care system.
Sumner County is joining that partnership with the construction of its Isaiah 117 House. “We’re looking to reduce trauma for the kiddos on removal day and let them know they are not alone, that they’re loved and that a community backs them and cares about them,” says Michelle Penick, who is overseeing this stage of Sumner County Isaiah 117 House development.
Providing a Home
Isaiah 117 Houses are designed to make children feel welcome. The houses have bedrooms for children who need to stay overnight. When a child or teen first gets there, they can take a hot shower or bath and select new, clean clothes. There are toys and activities for the children and nutritious, homemade meals. Children entering foster care often arrive with just a small sack full of their belongings. Every stitch of clothing, every bottle of shampoo, bar of soap, toy, and game the children receive at Isaiah 117 House is donated new. Isaiah 117 Houses don’t give away used supplies.
“We believe every child deserves to feel worthy, valued, and seen, especially on 1 of the hardest days of their life,” Michelle says. “That’s why we give them brand-new clothes, not hand-me-downs. New clothes say that you matter. You are not an afterthought. You are loved.”
Isaiah 117 House volunteers look to provide a safe, comfortable place for social workers, too. Social workers have office space they can use at Isaiah 117 Houses, and they share the same homemade meals and comfortable environment as the children. “We want to help the caseworkers know that they’re not alone, that they have a really hard job, and we support them and want to help them,” Michelle says.
Ongoing Support
The children don’t leave behind the clothing and other items they received at Isaiah 117 House. They take them with them when they go home with their foster families. In fact, Isaiah 117 House volunteers do everything they can to help the children along the journey, whether it’s providing new, donated car seats, a new bed, diapers, or just a care package.
“Taking on kiddos is a big undertaking,” says Michelle, who adopted her foster daughter. “We want to help them get started in any way possible.”
Corey and Ronda Paulson established the original Isaiah 117 House after bringing home Isaiah, a foster child they later adopted. Corey says as they began to study the book of Isaiah in the Bible, 1 verse touched their hearts—Isaiah 1:17, which calls on people to “take up the cause of the fatherless.” So that’s what they set out to do.
They started with that 1 house in 2018 in Carter County, Tennessee. Now, there are about 70 Isaiah 117 Houses in some stage of development in 13 states. Sumner County is 1 of the latest to join the ranks. The project moved from raising awareness to raising a building.
“We have had an excellent response throughout the county,” Michelle says. Businesses, contractors, and subcontractors have donated their time, money, and supplies to build the house. “Every day, we get news of somebody else that’s wanting to get involved and help,” she says. “We’re just trying to get the word out as much as possible because there are still so many in the county that have not heard of it.”
To that end, Michelle speaks to civic groups, churches, and other organizations. “I’m sharing the mission and ways that people can get involved and help us because we are a nonprofit,” she says. “We have to raise the funds to build the house. We have to raise all the funds to run the house.”
Starting an Isaiah 117 House is not a 1-and-done endeavor. After the house is built, it takes an army of volunteers to maintain it and work with the children. In-home volunteers who spend time with the children go through background checks and specialized training. “Then they’re put on a schedule, and they’re invited to be there when the guests come in and help love on them,” Michelle says. The Sumner County group already has about 30 volunteers awaiting training.
Supplies are another ongoing need. The Isaiah 117 House will need gift cards or in-kind donations to keep it supplied with new clothes, toiletries, toys, and other supplies.