FOSTER VILLAGE CHARLOTTE

Foster Village Charlotte creates connections with dignity for children and families experiencing foster care by meeting urgent needs, providing educational and emotional support, and advocating as a collective community voice for children. Founded in 2018 by four foster parents, FVC began as a grassroots effort to allow foster parents to connect with and support each other and then quickly multiplied into a movement as we began to encounter more and more foster parents experiencing similar challenges. FVC is not a licensing agency but collaborates with several private foster parent licensing agencies, local government, child welfare organizations, and the community to serve families holistically and represent the foster family voice to the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services (DSS). FVC’s vision is a strong support system surrounding every child in foster care, leading to a resilient next generation that breaks the cycle of childhood adversity. FVC has developed and launched a variety of programs to support children and families experiencing foster care under our three pillars: Equip, Connect, and Advocate which we tied to three core overall outcomes: 1) EQUIP - Increase the capacity of trauma-focused caregivers in our community. 2) CONNECT - Increase the capacity of caregivers as protective factors from the impacts of childhood trauma. 3) ADVOCATE - Increase community engagement to decrease disconnection and injustice through holistic systemic change.