By CLAIRE SANT
BGSU Student Contributor
Nestled in the heart of downtown Bowling Green is a non-profit that makes a difference for children who need safe homes. Inner Peace Homes, Inc. has been serving foster children within Northwest Ohio since 1994.
The organization is currently working with 10 families who are fostering children. Inner Peace is always looking for more willing families.
Executive Director Mindy Martin said being small benefits the organization in some ways. Foster parents feel more comfortable and are in close connection with the organization, she said.
“Being on the smaller side, we are more personable,” said Martin. “We’re involved enough to know these areas.”
The process can be long, and may not always go as planned. Sometimes, children who need fostering will be passed on through the system with no permanent home.
“Kids that have even more extreme issues tend to be the ones that get pushed back even more,” Martin said.
Fostering children takes selfless families, compassion and financial support, Martin said. With the children comes emotional trauma.
“One of the things we’re seeing more and more is kids are coming in with bigger traumas,” Martin said. “That’s one of the hard, difficult things.”
Whether it is abuse, neglect or inadequate family life, children within the foster system require new homes. Martin recalled a past experience in the foster care field. “We had around 26 kids at the time, and half of them had one parent that was already deceased,” she said. “Not only are they dealing with a deceased parent, but now they’re also dealing with a place in foster care.”
The organization receives two types of support: maintenance and administrative.
Maintenance funds go directly from the county to families to support the child’s everyday needs, while administrative funds go to the organization to help with home visits and safety checks.
More families are needed to offset the lack of caregivers. They do not always need to volunteer for full-time fostering. Families can help with respite care, fostering children for shorter, temporary periods.
“The family can revive themselves and get back on their feet,” Martin said. “It’s also to help the kids get the breaks they need.”
Routine home checks are done after placement to ensure a safe, good fit for both the children and families.
“Within the first seven days of placement and the first four weeks, we have to be out to the home,” Martin said. “After that, it’s a once-a-month cycle.”
While fostering is not an easy job, she said it is rewarding.
Families have been tempted to move to larger foster organizations but have stayed with Inner Peace Homes because of the personal support, Martin said.
“It’s about making a difference,” Martin said. “Even if it’s a small difference, it’s going to impact somewhere.”
Visit www.innerpeacehomes.org or at 136 ½ S. Main St., in downtown Bowling Green to learn the steps of becoming a foster parent or support Inner Peace Homes, Inc.
