Chad Black, owner of Cap’n Blacks Bait and Seafood, and his wife, Denise, have four girls ranging from 10 to 17 years old. Despite the size of their family, the Blacks decided to become a host family with Safe Families for Children (SFFC), a program under Bethany Christian Services (BCS). Denise said, “It’s the church stepping up to replace the foster system.” Describing the program, Chad said, “It’s not open ended foster care. The object is to get [the children] back in with the family.” Chad said they began with SFFC taking in a girl whose mother was pregnant and had no support. He said they kept her daughter a week during the mother’s time of delivery in the hospital and returned her afterwards. Denise described another situation where a single mother needing treatment for cancer needed a caretaker for her child and so turned to SFFC.
“The host family gets to know the parents and encourages them,” Denise said. In a third situation, she spoke of a family where the mother spent some time in jail and the father had no stable living situation to care for their daughter. “He saw his girl every weekend,” she said.
“It’s parents saying I’m in trouble and need help,” Chad said. SFFC also gets parents in touch with organizations to help get them on their feet according to Denise. “SFFC is for crises,” she said, “but not to carry people’s knapsacks.” Denise referenced Galatians 6:2 and 6:5, which say, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For each one will bear his own load,” the crisis being the burden, or a boulder, and the load, one’s every day responsibilities, the knapsack.
Denise said BCS provides training and licensing to qualify as a foster parent. She said there is online training and an open forum. She said she went a step further and interned with BCS.
The girls supported their parents’ decision. Naomi, a senior at Pace High School, said, “It was just like adding a cousin. It was pretty easy.” Terra, 12-years-old, said the children who are cared for within the Black home are treated like a brother or sister. She said, “I’m sad when they leave, but I tell myself they’re in good hands.” Karlie, the youngest at 10-years-old said, “I feel like an older sister. Wow, this is fun.” Naomi said the family is more unified now with a stronger bond. She said it could be stressful at times but they’re still a strong, close family.
Denise said, “What is the reason our family is here? We’ve always had a connection about kids, Chad with older ones.” Chad serves as a youth leader with Christian Life Church’s Wednesday night youth group.
Being a resource family, Chad said, is another option with SFFC for those who may not be able to take a child in the home. He said, “Resource families may not be able to take a child, but may give food, money, cribs, clothes.” The Blacks were caring for their current charge during the recent spring flood. Denise said they wouldn’t have been able to make it without resource families. “The flood was a boulder,” Denise said, but made it through with the help of their church family, Chad’s family, and the resource families. Karlie said she almost fell in the deep, rushing water but her dad carried her. Denise said, “All reference points were under water. Now when I hear about a flood, I think differently.”
There are only four host families in the area, according to Denise. “It’s not nearly enough. They can only take one child at a time,” she said. She said host families don’t have to be from Christian Life Church. “It’s not a denominational thing,” she said. She also said it’s not about adopting. “[SFFC] was not founded for adoption. The focus is to get kids back to their home.”
Naomi said the experience being part of SFFC has changed her, first in thinking of changing her college major. “SFFC has me thinking about working with kids. What can I do for my community? I want to see about doing something on my own. I want to be an example for girls.” Her sister Emily, freshman at Pace High School said, “It’s changed my perspective. I’m not self centered. I want to get out there and do something.”
To find out more about BCS and SFFC, call 1-800-BETHANY (2384269) or leave a comment at www.bethany.org.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local family takes part in Safe Families