Celebrate the Season of Giving by Fostering Youth in Indiana

The National Youth Advocate Program needs your help to find foster homes for children in need ahead of the holidays.

READ MORE: Salvation Army of Evansville Seeks Volunteers for the Holidays

The National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) in Indiana has served Hoosier children, youth, and families since 1987. In 2024, they remain dedicated to child welfare by working to fulfill their mission of finding temporary homes for youth during this holiday season. While opening up your home may seem scary at first, the folks at NYAP say it's one of the best ways to make a positive impact on your community.

Break the Stigma: Troubled Youth and Foster Care

I recently spoke with Terrilynn Durnal, a foster care specialist at NYAP. She noted that the organization is seeing more kids come into foster care than they have homes for. Just recently, NYAP expanded its efforts to include the entire state of Indiana—including Evansville. She added that there is a great need in this area for foster homes, as youth are placed in situations they didn't choose.

"These are some good kids that we have coming in, and they're not in foster care because of anything they've done. They're in foster care because of a situation their family put them in," she said. "These kids are just looking for a warm place to stay."

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NYAP Wants to Keep Siblings Together for Christmas

NYAP is committed to keeping siblings together when at all possible. The goal is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children until they are able to return to their home. According to the organization, as many as 65% of siblings in the foster care system are separated, largely due to the lack of homes to accommodate larger sibling groups.

"Anytime we can keep a sibling group together, we want to do that," Durnal said. "We want them to stay close to their hometown, and if they're in school, we want them to stay in their school system. We make it a priority to keep these kids together, keep them local, and that's why we have this need for foster homes in our area."

How to Become a Foster Parent with NYAP

Over the years, the process to get licensed has been streamlined and is much quicker than you might think. In fact, the process can take as little as 30 days, which means you could be licensed just in time for Christmas. You can learn more about becoming a foster parent by clicking HERE.