We have dreamed for years of having a home to helping young women who were formerly part of the foster system and were in need not merely of a place to live, but a place to become whole.  The vision of this ministry house is to help transform the lives of former foster children by having a “live in” structured one to three year program that will provide them with hands on help, healing and hope for the future.

In 2011, prior to launching Inspire Ministries, we had hoped to purchase the home next door to us as we would be able to oversee the women and have them join in our family life. That home sold as a “fixer upper” very quickly and was resold 4 months later with a $30,000 profit. In the summer of 2015, a home that we had always looked at as “the perfect” ministry home for both housing these women and having our ministry events went on the market.  We actively sought out donations and came up with $40,000 in pledges to this home but it sold 4 months later before we could get enough donations.  You can read about that home here.  At about the same time it sold, another “perfect home” across the street went on the market and sold within days.

We still have the dream of having a ministry home in our community and are waiting for the Lord to open the doors to make that a reality!

You will find below a part of our official proposal for donors  who may want to invest in our dream. While we made this particularly for the home we had hoped for in 2015, we our confident that we could find a similar home in Stockton that could meet our desires for this home.   If you would like a copy of the full proposal, please email us at inspire@bethlambdin.net and we will provide it for you.

Ministry House Proposal

SJ County has a serious issue with its young people who have aged out of foster care and possess few of the life skills, character qualities, moral values and permanent connections that will help them navigate through life. As a result they end up dependent on drugs and government assistance, involved in committing crimes, unemployed and getting pregnant—often repeating the very cycle that got them into the system.

• Inspire Ministries would like to start a ministry house that would help transform the lives of several  former foster children by having a “live in”, structured, one to three year program that will provide hands on help, healing and hope for their futures.
• The dual use of the proposed ministry house is to have a place for monthly gatherings that will strengthen families in SJ County, and give the young people living in the home a place to serve others and learn skills.
• The startup cost of the home and furnishings would be close to $450,000 (although the home could be purchased by a third party and leased back to Inspire for their proposed use)  The annual budget is anticipated to be under $30,000 per year with the goal of raising that through an annual fundraising event.
• Inspire Ministries is requesting consideration of a major contribution toward the startup cost or the private purchase of this home with a generous lease agreement to Inspire for a minimum of ten years.

Key Problems with Foster Care 

Foster Home Requirements & Expectations

Foster parents are only required to provide only the following:

• Safe and sufficient care
• A bed and a room
• Clothes
• Food
• Education
• Medical care
• Visitations with family, if required by the courts

Foster parents are NOT required or expected to:

• teach the child basic life skills (personal health & hygiene, cooking, cleaning, finance, driving)
• provide any form of structure or personal discipline
• assist them with school work, provide tutoring or advocate for their education
• instill vision or hope for their future or teach goal setting
• give them any opportunities for extracurricular activities (sports, music, art, theater, specialty classes)
• teach or role model positive character qualities or moral values to them
• “go the distance” with them (if a foster child acts up or the parent (s) decide they no longer want them, the agency has 10 days to remove the child from that home)
• provide a lifelong connection to an adult or family
• love or nurture the foster child

While a few foster homes do some of the things listed above, most do not.

Ministry House Solution

The vision of the ministry house is to help transform the lives of former foster children by having a “live in” structured one to three year program that will provide them with hands on help, healing and hope for the future.

A.     Goals

1.  To disciple them in the tenets of Christian living and point them toward a commitment to Jesus, knowing that only in  Christ will there ever be a true transformation of lives

2. To fill in the serious gaps and deficiencies they have in the areas of education, life skills, character qualities, moral  values and spiritual and emotional development

3. To keep them from being homeless, substance abusers, and dependent on government assistance; to teach them strategies for successful living

4. To connect them to families, the church and community for lifelong support, encouragement and opportunities

5. To inspire and challenge them to have goals and a vision for their futures and to help them set an action plan to meet those goals

6. To end the generational cycles of abuse and neglect, abuse and poverty, which result in reliance on government assistance

7. To glorify God in everything

 

B.  Action Plans to Meet These Goals

1.  To provide structure and discipline through:

• A structured daily schedule (sample below)
• Submission to mentors and staff
• Responsibilities in the home, including chores, maintenance and meal preparation
• A personalized plan for their education, career, therapy and future living situation
• Financial responsibility to pay rent and utilities on a sliding scale as they earn more income
• Completing 15 hours of community or ministry service a month
• Required weekly church attendance
• Agreeing to sign a contract to abide by all house rules:
• No drugs, smoking or alcohol in or out of the house
• Abide by curfew
• No foul language or perverse behavior
• No television, media or non-Christian music without approval of mentor
• Covenant Eyes software on all internet devices
• Attendance at all classes, studies, meetings and meals
• No dating or relationships (during first year of program)
• No outside guests in home without approval

2.   To teach and train basic life skills

• House maintenance and cleaning
• Personal health (nutrition, exercise) and hygiene
• Meal planning, shopping and preparation
• Driving (auto maintenance, purchasing insurance, etc.)
• Budgeting and banking
• Etiquette and manners
• Stress management
• Employment skills: resumes, applications, interviews, work ethic
• Computer Skills
• Organization
• Communication: verbal and written
• Goal Setting
• Living cooperatively with others
• Problem Solving
• Conflict Resolution
• Priorities
• Parenting
• Community Service

3.  To provide academic counseling, direction and accountability

• Require completion of high school diploma or GED
• Career assessment tests and counseling
• College or vocational schools
• Becoming a lifelong learner
• Accountability to mentors for educational plan

4.  To teach & train character qualities and moral values

• Initiative
• Responsibility
• Honesty
• Resourceful
• Patience
• Thoroughness
• Sincerity
• Self-Control
• Hospitality
• Gratefulness
• Honor
• Flexibility
• Determination
• Attentiveness
• Politeness
• Orderliness
• Commitment
• Endurance
• Purity
• Modesty
• Contentment
• Kindness
• Maturity
• Industry
• Dependability
• Thrift
• Being personable
• Assertiveness
• Tact

5.  To spiritually disciple them to follow Christ

• Foundation for all Godly living – the truth of the Word of God
• Key doctrines – salvation, baptism, the Holy Spirit, Christian identity, prayer, worship, fellowship, evangelism, discipleship
• Living for Christ – obedience, holiness, purity, submission, service
• Lordship of Christ – time, talents, relationships, finances, possessions, careers, decisions
• Gifts & callings – finding your God given purpose

6.  To provide a loving and nurturing environment and positive connections to families, church and  community

• Mentor couple will foster a loving nurturing environment in the home as well as provide a positive role model of a strong marriage and family
• Families will be recruited to assimilate the former foster child into their lives for weekly church attendance, weekly meals, holiday functions, vacations and special events
• A family will be invited for monthly Sunday brunch at the ministry house, to be hosted by the women in the house
• Church involvement will be mandatory
• Community/ministry service will be required

Sample Weekly Schedule

Monday – Friday

6:30am          Exercise (Tues. & Thurs.)

7:00am          Showers, dress & pick up bedroom

7:45am          Personal prayer & devotions

8:15am          Daily assigned chores

8:45am          Breakfast

9:15am          Bible class

10:15am        Character education

11:15am        Life skills plan

12:30pm        Lunch

Afternoon      Personalized plan

• School
• Work
• Service
• Therapy appointment
• Driving lessons
• Weekly mentor appointment

 

6:00pm          Family dinner

7:00pm          Monday – guest speakers

Tuesday/Thursdays – class or ministry service

Wednesday – church

Friday – family night (games, movies activities)

9:00pm         Free time

10:00pm        In rooms (Friday 10:30pm)

10:30pm        Lights out (Friday 11pm)

Saturdays

8:00am          Exercise

8:30am          Personal prayer & devotions

9:00am          Breakfast

9:30am          Weekly chores – deep cleaning

11:00am        Showers & prep for day

Personalized Plan

• School
• Work
• Service
• Special events or activities
• Shopping

6:00pm          Family Dinner

FREE Evening

Curfew 10pm

11:00pm Lights out

Sundays

AM – Church

1:00pm Brunch (Hospitality once a month invite guests)

Rest

6:30pm          Family dinner

7:30pm          House meeting

   Prayer & communion

10:00pm        In rooms

10:30pm        Lights out

Mentor Couple

A mature, ministry-minded couple (or potentially, a single woman) will be recruited to live in the house and provide oversight and supervision to the young women and children, as well as every aspect of the program.

Participant Requirements & Rewards

The following are the requirements for young women desiring to enter this    program, as well as the benefits and rewards for completing the program

A.  Enrollment Requirements

1.  Application

2.  Interview

3.   Drug Test

4.   Sign behavior contract and liability release (If contract is broken      there will be consequences that could include removal from program)

B. Rewards

1.    Educational counseling & assistance

2.     Job experience & training

3.     Job placement assistance

4.     Safe & nurturing childcare

5.     Lifelong connections & friendships formed to give long term             support

6.   Living placement assistance

7.    Financial bonus for successfully completing program