Jessica Angelique
The month of May, which is nearly gone, was National Foster Care Month, but Indiana residents don’t know that. There has been no news about the month, there have been no stories in the Courier & Press, Gleaner or Indy Star. There has been no Proclamation issued by the Governor of Indiana nor the Mayor of Evansville, IN in recognition and support of the 400,000+ children and youth currently in foster care in the U.S. That surprises me, because Indiana is in the midst of a grave crisis. It is so dire that we are nearing the point at which a State of Emergency may be called for foster care in Indiana.
In October of 2017, there were 29,315 children and youth in foster care in Indiana. Why is that number so significant? It’s a red flag, because 30,000+ youth a year transition out of foster care in the entire U.S., and the State of Indiana has that number in foster care… now.
Nationwide, there are fewer than 199,000 licensed foster care homes, and on any given day roughly 7,000 children and/or youth will sleep in a DCS office, somewhere in the U.S., on the floor next to their Case Manager due to a lack of foster care homes that will take them in. We are in a crisis. Indiana, especially, is in such heavy crisis that the Governor of Indiana, Eric Holcomb, paid an independent commission nearly $200,000 this year to find out why so many children and youth are in institutional care in Indiana. As of the writing of this article, those findings have yet to be made public.
I was in foster care from the time I was an infant to the time I aged-out into homelessness in Evansville, IN. Back then, there were no Transitional Living Homes for youth in Evansville. That was 32-years ago, and Evansville still has no Transitional Living Homes for youth. When youth without money transition out of foster care in Evansville, IN, like I did, they have to leave and go where there is housing and assistance. They end up in places like Stepping Stones in Bloomington or the Wait House in Glen Falls, NY.
Being homeless for youth often times means traveling to Chicago, DC, New York and other states that did spend the money building Transitional Living Homes and Programs for youth. Our youth, in Evansville, IN, are sent to those States’, because Evansville has not done what other cities and states have made a priority. I do not understand why, in more than 32-years, Evansville has not built, renovated or donated one home anywhere in the city for youth who transition out of foster care. It is a glaring oversight and “black-eye” on the city and those who call the city home. It is a flat-out embarrassment.
We could do it. We have Fortune 500 companies lining the streets. Evansville is home to millionaires and billionaires, plastic manufactures, automotive powerhouses, the Promise Zone, and millions of dollars in State and Federal funds and grants arrive on Evansville’s doorstep every year. I bet you didn’t know that, but I do.
I have begged on bended-knee, met with and stated my case before the Mayor, Habitat For Humanity, Black Community Leaders, Baptist Churches, Lutheran Churches, Christian Mega Churches here, Governor Holcomb, CEO’s, COO’s Bank Presidents in Evansville, school organizations, Eli Lilly, Toyota, AK Steel as well as Ford, GM and Ameriqual… and I was turned down by every single one.
The list, of my rejections, is now going into book format. To date, I have been told “no” by 17,422 people, churches, companies and organizations in and around Evansville, IN. I went to the Community Development Commission, ECHO, Stephanie Tenbarge, the Promise Zone and I knocked on door after door after door after door to no avail. I know what you’re thinking. Some of you reading this are wondering why I don’t you just give up and forget it. I would, except for the fact that I made a promise. I believe in keeping promises. I believe in staying true to my word. I have never wavered, nor have I left a promise unfulfilled.
When I was 13-years-old, I made a deal, of sorts, with God. It came after a particularly bad beating at the hands of my then-foster mother, that left me bloody and begging for my life. I wasn’t sure if I would live through the beating, so I turned to God for help. I said, “If you allow me to live, I promise that I will spend the rest of my days saving as many children as I can in foster care.” If you’re reading this article, you know that God kept his end of the bargain. I can’t stop until I fulfill my end. Yes, so far, I have failed, and quite publicly I might add, in my fight to get the doors open on a home for foster and homeless youth in Evansville, IN. But, I am faithful and obedient. I keep at it, because God promised me that it would come to pass. Sometimes, I feel like I’m Joshua and Evansville is Jericho. Faith, without works, is dead. That is why I keep at it.
So, I’m taking my fight to the people and asking for Evansville’s help in helping me save a life and keep my promise to God. I know that I can’t be the only one that feels that the life of a youth is worth saving and fighting for.
I am asking for the public’s help in getting a home and opening the doors on the first Transitional Living Home in Evansville, IN. If you can help, I promise you I can take it from there. The first step is always the biggest, and they don’t come any bigger than opening the doors on the first Permanent Living Home for youth in Evansville, IN. If you can help, or know someone that can, email me at jessicalangelique@gmail.com.
Even if the only help that you can give is a heartfelt prayer, I will take it. Prayer heals. Prayer saves. Prayer, like God, can make a way out of no way. Please support children and youth in foster care. The month of May is National Foster Care Month. It’s not too late. Now that you know, I hope that you will support the plight of children and youth in institutional care. Right now, there is a child waiting for you to take action on their behalf.
If you would like to help, contact me, Jessica Angelique at jessicalangelique@gmail.com.
