As of Friday, there is now a home that will change the way foster care begins for children in Logan, Simpson and Butler counties—and not even the late summer heat could deter a community deeply invested in the vision of Kentucky’s first Isaiah 117 House from showing up to commemorate a day years in the making.
“What began as five foster moms with a vision for a home, today that dream has grown into a community that has embraced the mission in countless ways—through your time, through the lemonade and hot chocolate stands, your willingness to lavishly love every child who walks through these doors soon,” Kentucky Location Leader Lori Gafford said to a crowd of more than 100 supporters at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.
The Isaiah 117 House will provide a comfortable, dignified waiting location for children who are removed from their homes and placed in state custody—reducing trauma for children awaiting placement, lightening the load borne by social workers and easing the transition for foster families.
“When a child is removed from their home, it can feel like the world is turned upside down. Too often they spend those first hours in an office, scared and unsure, with nothing familiar to hold onto. But here, at this Isaiah 115 House, they will be soothed by a warm bed, a safe place to play, a meal they actually want to eat and caring volunteers to remind them that they are not forgotten,” Gafford said. “This house is more than walls and furniture. It’s a promise from this community here in Logan County that no child will have to face those first hours alone. It’s a safe place to breathe, to feel love and to know that better days are ahead.”
The Isaiah 117 House is officially open to receive children, a safe haven with two bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, toys, a fenced-in yard and playground, an office space for social workers wading through paperwork to find each child a placement, brand new clothing, shoes, toiletries and other basic necessities a child may need and Christian volunteers ready to share the love of Jesus.
“I’m excited for the community,” said Lisa Dennis, commissioner of Kentucky’s Department of Community Based Services (DCBS). “I’m excited for DCBS to have this opportunity. But I’m most excited for the opportunity for our children and our families to experience the love of this community.”
Kasey Reynolds with Logan County’s Protection and Permanency Office said the community investing in an Isaiah 117 House is changing the foster care system for both children and case workers.
“This not a house; this is a beacon of hope for children,” Reynolds said. “As a caseworker, we make decisions every day that one person shouldn’t be responsible for. Even with the most empathy and the best training, it is heavy and it is hard and the Isaiah [117] House is going to lighten that load.”
Reynolds also articulated the great need for foster parents. “We need them badly,” she said.
There are currently over 8,500 Kentucky children placed in out of home care, including foster homes, relative or fictive kin placements, psychiatric hospitals and independent living or education settings.
To learn more about the Isaiah 117 House of Logan/Simpson/Butler counties, visit the ministry’s Facebook page. For more information on the Isaiah 117 House parent ministry and the impact of houses in nearby states like Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, visit isaiah117house.com.
(Photo: Kentucky location leader Lori Gafford cuts a ribbon at the grand opening of Isaiah 117 House, courtesy of Kentucky Today)
By Tessa Richmond, Kentucky Today
