A Message from Our Founder, Charlene D. Allen
Every house is built on a firm foundation which is the beginning phase and supports the entire architectural design of the structure. We are a non-profit organization designed to help people rebuild their lives with us serving as the foundation.
We are a home of plenty and are focused on aiding underprivileged communities, youths aging out of the foster care system as well as senior citizens living in long-term care facilities. Whenever you need help, our organization will always be here for you.
Foster Youths
There are approximately 424,000 kids currently in the nation’s foster care system. Despite several efforts from child welfare groups to prevent the separation of children from their parents, the number of children in foster care has been increasing.
Many people stereotype foster children as troubled teens. However, the truth is that most of them are children with a median age of 6 ½ years old. They deserve as much care, love, and attention as any other kid within their community.
A Flawed System
The foster care system is designed to be a temporary home for kids who find themselves unable to live with their biological parents due to abuse and neglect. Unfortunately, it has become a permanent burden for many.
That is until the system decides to release them into a world where they know nothing other than the survival of their past. 200,000 youths between the ages of 18-21 are pushed out of the foster care system annually.
The exact timing of releases varies based on where they live.
These older foster kids are labeled as unadoptable and are expected to live as responsible, well-adjusted adults, despite the difficult and potentially traumatizing environment they grew up in.
Post-Foster Care Issues
Adoption is no guarantee that these foster youths will be able to live to their fullest. Most children get adopted by their relatives, who become the child’s kinship caregiver. Kinship caregivers receive training and financial support for taking care of the child.
However, many of them are often no more capable of caring for the kids than the biological parents that abandoned the child. The caregivers themselves can also be victims of the foster care system who have no idea how to care for their charges.
Viable adoptive parents are even less likely to adopt these kids, for a variety of reasons.
Socio-Economic Hurdles
Many minorities already struggling and living in poverty are unable to provide adequate shelter for family members’ children who have become entangled in the foster care system. This creates a preconception that they are incapable parents.
Statistics show that African-American children are less likely to be reunited with their biological parents for whatever reason. However, this doesn’t mean they are bad kids nor does it mean that African-American adults are bad parents.
Creating a Haven for Those Failed by the System
Our program aims to help the “unadoptable” children that are lost in the very system put in place to protect them. We will provide a place of safety and balance for young men and women aging out of the foster care system.
Whether they’re struggling in society or are simply in need of encouragement, The Virtuous House will serve as a refuge for knowledge, information, resources, and possibly temporary housing for them.
Aging Parents
Our senior-focused program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic when state and local municipalities began to lock down nursing homes across the country. Residents who chose to remain are left to meander around and be lonely.
They witnessed losing their friends and lost personal contact with their family members.
Many of these facilities have been on lockdown since March 13, 2020, but limited visitation had begun to resume in early September. However, a recent surge of cases has led to a portion of nursing homes reinstating lockdowns.
The Virtuous House will support the seniors within these facilities with inspiration and support when regular visitations become available.
A Personal Cause
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravished long-term care facilities. Charlene’s mom was impacted by the virus and despite all her underlying conditions as well as 10 days in the hospital, she survived. However, countless residents were not as lucky.
Charlene, a passionate advocate, wanted to honor her mom and those living in long-term care facilities throughout New Jersey by supporting a senior. And thus, our Aging Parents program was created.