HALE OPIO KAUA`I, INC. - How people are helping on Kaua`i »»
Not since Hurricane Iniki have so many families on Kaua`i opened their homes and their hearts to children and youth in need of foster homes.
The current economic disaster we find ourselves facing effects everyone and perhaps its greatest impact is felt by the families and children of our community. Hale `Opio feels extremely grateful for the many families who have joined our ranks of foster parents, also referred to as Professional Parents. The stress caused by families dealing with rising financial stress and the loss of jobs often trickles down to the children, creating great anxiety. Sometimes the stress is more than a family can bear and the situation results in the children or youth needing to live outside of their family for a while. What would these children do if we did not have people willing to become foster parents? Hale `Opio most often supports adolescents, and our foster parents receive over 24 hours of special training to help them support the foster youth in their care. Around the clock professional support also helps our foster parents manage a variety of issues that may arise. One new foster family stepped forward this year to help a group of siblings remain together while their family works to get back on their feet. They report the rewards of becoming foster parents and seeing these children flourish are truly heartwarming.
