It’s estimated that around 70% of all instances of kinship care are informal. This is significant because family members in these cases are caring for a child without official documentation. Caregivers providing informal kinship care do not receive assistance from the state, nor do they have official custody of the child. And in many cases, they cannot receive assistance from other organizations or local programs, as these resources often require official documentation of the placement.
This leaves many families uncertain of where to turn for help or how to access critical resources. Our guest for this conversation understands the importance of filling this critical gap in care.
Lisa Johnson is the Founder and Executive Director of Entrusted Houston, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families and children impacted by the child welfare system. She began her fostering journey in 2009 and is a proud mom to seven children, four adopted through foster care.
While Entrusted Houston initially set out to support foster families, today they stand in the gap for families, children, and individuals who could otherwise not access critical resources. Among the many they serve in Houston are caseworkers, biological families, families navigating kinship care, single-parent families, refugees, trafficking victims, and veterans. They are truly embodying what it means to entrust God with their resources and offer them to anyone who seeks help.
In this episode, you’ll hear how this ministry evolved to include more than just foster and kinship care families, why these resources are critical to prevent a potential removal and help children return home, how to stay grounded in your mission, and much more.
You can also find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Key Takeaways
- Offer with open hands. Entrusted Houston is a unique nonprofit because they don’t require the people they help to submit paperwork in order to get access to much-needed resources. They practice their namesake by entrusting God that the resources will go to those who need them. This allows them to serve not only foster and adoptive families, but all kinds of vulnerable families and individuals who reside in Houston.
- This is a collaborative effort. It’s when we all come together and take up our place along The River that we can make a difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals, children, and families. Not only are there generous churches, businesses, organizations, and other community partners offering up key resources, but in turn, Entrusted Houston is able to collaborate, make connections, and effectively disperse resources all around our city. From the family who consistently drops off pull-ups to the individual who donates monthly, everyone can do something to make a difference.
- Stay connected to the mission. Whatever you are called to do along The River, it’s important to not lose sight of your mission. We can easily get discouraged and disconnected. Some of us may even have a role where we don’t get to be on the front lines interacting with the people our work is helping. One of the ways Lisa likes to remain connected to the overall mission is to devote a day to making deliveries and interacting with those their ministry serves. It’s hard to feel disconnected when you look into the eyes of our neighbors in need and see your impact firsthand.
Resources
- Connect with Lisa on Instagram
- Learn more about Entrusted Houston or connect with them on Facebook
- Thanks for listening! Use code “TBRIpodcast” to get $5 off when you sign up for an Introduction to TBRI session. If you work personally or professionally with children who have experienced adversity, learn more about TBRI on our Trauma Training page.
Meet the Guest
Lisa Johnson is the Founder and Executive Director of Entrusted Houston, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families and children impacted by the child welfare system. She began her fostering journey in 2009 and is a proud mom to seven children, four adopted through foster care. Lisa has been a part of Entrusted Houston since its earliest days, when it was just a church ministry. Lisa has led that ministry into a growing nonprofit organization that helps hundreds of families and children each month gain access to resources, temporary housing, and furniture.