The Matching Assistance Program is discontinued effective August 7, 2023. The MAP website will no longer be available for login starting September 1, 2023.

Category: Programs

Host Home Program

Safe and stable housing improves youth physical and mental health, educational engagement, employment, and other quality of life determinants. Host Homes provide youth the stability they need to access care, reengage with school, seek employment, and gain the skills they need to transition to independent adulthood.

By partnering with A Family for Every Child, Host Homes make an enduring difference in the lives of our community’s youth.

Becoming a Host Home Provider

Requirements

Host Home providers must:

  • Have an available, private bedroom in their home that contains a bed, window, and space for the youth to store their belongings.
  • Have at least one resident in the home who is 21 or older.
  • Pass a fingerprint-based background check.
  • Complete the Host Home onboarding process.

Process

Could you be a good fit for the Host Home program? Fill out an application today!

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Want more information about how you can support youth in our community? We would love to connect. Reach out to the Host Home program today.

Nyx Veliz (they/them)

Alliance Associate Director

Office: (541) 406-7673

Cell: (541) 972-0666

nyx.veliz@affec.org

Mentor Program

Program Overview

Allies Mentors are members of our community supporting at-risk youth as they transition into independent adulthood.

Mentors will partner with their youth's case manager to support goal setting and skill development. Together, mentors and mentees participate in group and individual social activities, share their passions and interests, and work toward identifying and strengthening natural supports for youth.

What is a Mentor?

Mentors are community members who choose to dedicate their time to being allies for youth as they transition into adulthood. Mentors empower youth to take the lead in their lives and help them with the how. They use their lived experience and training from A Family for Every Child to help mentees prepare for challenges and problem-solve barriers.
 
To become a mentor, you must be:
 
      • 21+ years old
      • a Lane County resident
      • able to pass a background check
Apply to be a Mentor

Youth We Serve

The Allies Mentor Program serves youth ages 11-24 in Lane County who may typically struggle with finding mentors in their everyday life. Through the Mentor Program, these youth are supported to grow their natural supports and build healthy habits for a healthy adult life.

There are many factors that may cause a youth to be identified as "at risk". These are the markers for eligibility in A Family for Every Child's Mentor Program: 

      • Currently homeless or at risk of houselessness
      • Currently in foster care of aged-out of foster care
      • Currently involved in or at-risk of being involved with the juvenile justice system

This includes:

                  • Having a parent who has been involved with the justice system
                  • Being at or below the 80% HUD area median income level
                  • Dropped out or is at risk of dropping out of school
                  • Comes from a single-parent household
 

If you are unsure if a youth qualifies for this program, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

 

Want more information about how you can support youth in our community? We would love to connect. Reach out to the Mentor program today.

Nyx Veliz (they/them)

Alliance Associate Director

Office: (541) 406-7673

Cell: (541) 972-0666

nyx.veliz@affec.org

Child Matching Events

What is it?

In a Child Matching Event, social workers are given the opportunity to present their child/children to an audience of home study approved families. The advantage that a Child Matching Event creates is the opportunity for a social worker to expand on and discuss their child in further detail toward families who have interest in the child.

Social Workers

 
  • Identify your child/children who you wish to present towards potential home study families. Get involved by contacting our Recruitment Coordinator for available dates.
  • Gather media (pictures, videos, audio clips, etc.) that represent your child(ren). High-quality media and a good variety are valuable towards the presentation of the child.
  • Prepare for questions that families might ask during the webinar. Review the child’s case files and identify what the child needs in a forever family. It is also important that workers share the strengths of the children along with their struggles. If possible find the contact information for others in the child’s life such as a CASA, mentor, or a foster parent who cares for them. A Family For Every Child can coordinate with these individuals to also participate in the webinar.
  • Schedule a practice event in order to test audio and ensure that the event goes smoothly the day of. At the specific date and time of the event, log on from your computer and be prepared to discuss the child you are presenting. Log on instructions and all needed info will be sent to you days prior to the event. Be prepared to answer questions about the child, as families viewing the presentation have the ability to type questions they may have.
  • Following the conclusion of the webinar, families will have the opportunity to submit their home study. Please be prepared to follow up with interested families and discuss with them if they are a good potential fit for the child, or why they may not be.
Child Matching Adopt

Families

Child Matching Events give families the opportunity to learn more about a child that they have some interest in. The advantage in these events comes from the ability to ask any questions towards the social worker and receive immediate responses. Further information on the child is presented by the social worker as well. This is often information that goes beyond a child’s bio.

The interaction through questions during the webinar are valuable for both families and social workers, as families are allowed to ask all potential questions anonymously and social workers can effectively provide information on their child in a time-efficient manner.

Any families who are interested in attending a Child Matching Event webinar must be a home study approved family. Only Adoption Workers and families with completed home studies will be approved to attend these events due to the personal and detailed information that will be provided about the children during the event. All home study families interested in a Child Matching Event will need to pre-register for the specific event that they wish to be involved in.

Match With a Foster Child.

Host Home Overview

Why we need you!

Our Host Home program is an innovative and scalable effort that could move the needle for homeless students. It will save money and lives, but it will take a team.

Reasons you should be involved!

  • Youth who are “new” to our streets are more likely to become chronically homeless if we do not intervene within 15 nights.
  • 68.4% of homeless students scored below standards. 82.3% of homeless students scored below standard in math and 60.4% of homeless students scored below standard in science.
  • Youth that have experienced homelessness are 50% more likely not to receive a high school diploma. It is our goal to develop this program to interrupt this cycle and produce education and personal successes for 50 of these homeless youth.
  • In 2019-20 , we had 1,063 Bethel-Eugene 4J youth experiencing homelessness and 272 of them identified as unaccompanied minors.
  • For every $1 spent on youth interventions that address homelessness, the community saves $4.12 according to a New Avenues for Youth study (Portland, Oregon 2010).
  • Oregon estimates that more than 21,000 students in the state experienced homelessness in the 2019-20 school year.
  • National studies indicate that most of these youth run away due to family conflict or abuse, while others are kicked out of their home and forced to fend for themselves.
  • We had hoped for better results. The 2019-20 numbers indicate the percentage of unhoused students in the 4J and Bethel school districts have remained unchanged from the previous year at 25.7%.
  • Last school year, 15th Night Rapid Access Network (RAN) advocates sent alerts on behalf of 162 unaccompanied students with a total of 292 services and resource requested. The most common requests were for basic needs like clothing and shoes, food and shelter. As of the end of the year, 30 local youth-serving organizations (“providers”) are responding to unaccompanied student needs via the 15th Night Rapid Access Network (RAN).

What is 15th Night?

One night on the street is too many. The 15th Night is a community-wide partnership that helps the current Eugene-Springfield students that are navigating homelessness and many are unaccompanied.  Bringing together existing community resources, the 15th Night focuses on the safety and well-being of our vulnerable Eugene-Springfield youth who do not have a parent or guardian to support them. These resource teams include at least one representative from the University of Oregon, Bethel School District, Lane County Health and Human Services, the Eugene Police Department, City Councilor Ward 8, Eugene City Manager, Lane ESD, Eugene 4J School District, as well as over 30 area nonprofits.

Our latest effort is to work with individual high schools and their feeder middle schools on creating their own internal response team for homeless youth within their school. This is known as the School Mobilization Model.  Our Host Home program is, at its core, working to engage the school’s parent and teacher community, as well as local neighborhood groups and business, to wrap services and support all around these youth.  We believe this is a program/effort that is effective, innovative, and could be reproduced in any community.

Working Together To Protect Our Youth!

Here in Eugene/Springfield, homelessness is a wide-spread issue that many organizations have been grappling with for years.  Many people turn to the Eugene Mission, or other shelters in our community, to seek temporary housing, especially during the cold winter months. However, if you are an unaccompanied youth and you are experiencing homelessness, you do not have access to adult shelters. This leaves youth with 12 (7 during COVID restrictions) beds at the one shelter we have for under 18 and 13 beds at another for youth indentifyling as female. Youth under the age of 18 are also unable to access many food distribution resources and resource centers due to their status as a minor. 

AFFEC's Host Home Program is licensed through the state of Oregon.  As one of the few licensed Host Home programs in the state, we are able to assist youth ages 0-15 years old. Youth 16+ and home providers are not required to go through the licensed program.  We take pride in successfully completing the licensing process  and are also very committed to assisting other blooming Host Home programs throughout the state.

The RAN technology was updated over the summer based on feedback from our community advocates and network of 30+ service providers. RAN 2.0 was successfully launched in late September and enables school specific RANs to be connected to the larger Community RAN.

The 15th Night expanded into Springfield this fall. Springfield Public Schools and the Springfield Police Department can now access the 15th Night RAN on behalf of students experiencing homelessness. Catholic Community Services, First Place Family Shelter, Whitebird Dental, and the Eugene Mission have all joined the 30+ network of providers who responded in real time to alerts.

Sometimes the 15th Night Network is unable to meet a specific need of a student. This is where our Community Responder volunteers step into action. Over 50 people have volunteered to receive alerts from the 15th Night when there is a need that is hard to fill like special clothing, shoes, or gift cards for food.

Even students are stepping up for each other.  The Economic Justice League (EJL) for homeless and economically-challenged youth was created at South Eugene High School.  Along with 15th Night, we are working to execute the vision of keeping kids in school and supporting those struggling with housing.  One of South Eugene’s projects is opening a drop-in center for students to get help, support, and access to resources.  This includes food throughout the school day as well as free dinners-to-go, access to computers and technology, washer and dryer, free counseling, and much more. The goal is to have this room open before school, during lunch, and after school for any student that needs support. We hope to bring in therapists, artists, performers, hair stylists, barbers, and mentors of all kinds. We plan to have Fancy Dinner nights, Hair/Makeup/Makeover nights, Open Mic/Performance nights, arts and crafts, movie and game nights, and more.

15th Night Rapid Access Network Community Partners are working together to safeguard the 460+ Eugene-Springfield unhoused students who do not have a parent or guardian to support them, or a permanent place to call home. With thanks to their involvement, the 15th Night community movement can prevent Eugene-Springfield youth from going out on the street, and intervene quickly if they do.  This partnership includes many state / government resource and over 30 community nonprofits that all make a commitment to work together.

How Does AFFEC Fit Into the 15th Night Partnership?

A Family For Every Child provides three of their services to the youth serves by the 15th Night Network: Family Finding, Mentor and Host Home Programs. AFFEC has been providing both mentoring and family finding to the community for almost a decade and added the Host Home Porgram in 2018.

To learn more about...
Host homes and how to become one, click here

We are also looking for community members to join the movement and volunteer in a number of ways. If you are interested in volunteering in either capacity:

  • Select the appropriate boxes for either mentor, family finding volunteer, or host home.

 

Refer a Mentor

Know someone who would make a great mentor? Send them our way!

Your Information

Looks good!
First Name can only contain letters and spaces
Looks good!
Last Name can only contain letters and spaces
Looks good!
Please enter a valid email address
Looks good!
Please select a state
Looks good!
Please enter a valid phone number or leave blank

Recommended Mentor Information

Looks good!
First Name can only contain letters and spaces
Looks good!
Last Name can only contain letters and spaces
Looks good!
Please enter a valid email address
Looks good!
Please select a state
Looks good!
Submit

Online Matching Events

Online Adoption Matching

Our Online Child Matching Events and Online Family Matching Events utilize user-friendly and accessible technology to better match children with their forever families. Social workers present children from their caseload to an audience of adoptive families via an online webinar program.

What Types of Programs Do We Use?

We use Microsoft Word PowerPoint to highlight the children, where we arrange the presentation in a very professional and useful way.

Does This Help with Adoption?

A Family For Every Child’s Online Child Matching Events are becoming increasingly popular, and are especially helpful for children in foster care that have a harder time finding a forever family.

How Does This Work?

Online Matching Events utilize easy, simple and accessible technology to portray foster children in a professional and aesthetically pleasing manner. We use several photos of the child to portray their everyday life, personality, and activities. The social worker presents a slideshow for every family that has an interest in the child.

Adoption Made Easy
Online Matching Events

Why these Events are Useful

Families are much more likely to become interested in a child after they’ve seen pictures and videos that represent the child’s personality, and after they’ve heard about the child’s behaviors directly from one of the people that know the child the best; their social worker. Families love these webinars, and feel that this is a great way to “hear about [the children’s] real personalities” and they appreciate being able to “hear directly from the social workers who know the children best” (Source from an August 22nd Online Child Matching Event attendee.)

Interested In Attending?

Online Matching Event Registration

Interested in Presenting?

(Clicking the link above; it will take you to an inquiry form that they fill out that will be e-mailed to AFFEC, alerting me that they are interested in presenting during an “Online Matching Event”. The MOU will also be on this page. The inquiry form will have first name, last name, agency, e-mail, how they heard about our matching events, what month they are interested in presenting, and if they’ve presented-tycfg-d in the past. Maybe what child they’d like to present as well but this one can be an option.)

Información en Español

Español AFFEC

A Family for Every Child (una familia para todos los niños) es una organización enfocada en encontrar hogares adoptivos permanentes y amorosos para niños de crianza temporal que están esperando. En los últimos 12 años, hemos desarrollado 10 programas que ayudan a los niños con necesidades especiales para encontrarles sus propias familias para siempre. Nuestros programas incluyen:

Spread Love

Heart Gallery (galería de corazones): The Heart Gallery es una herramienta utilizada para involucrar y educar la comunidad sobre las situación difíciles de los niños que viven en hogares de crianza temporal. Hacemos esto al mostrar imágenes profesionales y biografías de los niños esperando en lugares locales. Trabajamos con más de 50 negocios, lugares corporativos y religiosos

Español Friendly

El sitio de web: Usamos nuestro sitio web para trabajar con los Heart Galleries y con asistentes sociales para proporcionar y facilitar imágenes profesionales e información sobre niños en crianza temporal. También es una herramienta de reclutamiento independiente con opciones de listado públicas y privadas.

Adopt a Child

La Programa de asistencia complementaria (MAP): El programa está diseñado para ayudar a las familias adoptivas a hacer frente al proceso de adopción complicado y, a menudo, frustrante y complicado. El concepto es tener una persona en nuestro personal y un sitio web de inicio de sesión exclusivamente para estas familias

Estamos aquí para ayudarlo ya sea si apenas está buscando recursos, si está empezando el proceso de adoptar, si está esperando una colocación, o si está buscando recursos postadopción. Todavía estamos en el proceso de traducir el sitio de web. Para información, recursos, o consultas enviarnos un correo electrónico a espanol@afamilyforeverychild.org.

FAQ For Social Workers

FAQ For Families

1-541-343-2856