Non-Profit Launches Foster Program in Response to Opioid Crisis

Union City, Georgia (WGCL) -- The longtime Georgia non-profit Christian City Children's Village is launching a massive foster program in response to the opioid crisis that's taking parents from children.

They say the opioid crisis has caused foster care needs to increase by 100 percent in the last five years in Georgia.

After 53 years of serving children on campus, directors at Christian City Children's Village have decided that they want to launch a full-fledged foster program through it's Crossroads Program. It will cover a 50 mile radius of Union City, just south of downtown Atlanta.

The non-profit, is partnering with agencies to help foster parents learn to take care of opioid addicted babies as well. There are currently 15 thousand kids in foster care in Georgia

Christian City Children's Village was just certified by the state to run both public and private foster care arrangements. This means children can be referred from Georgia's Department of Family and Children's Services to their program.

"A lot of children who come into the foster care system have faced various types of trauma, whether it be abuse or neglect. So, we really want to make sure that the families that will be taking care of them from this point in time and maybe a forever home."

While the organization is Christian-based, they say you do not have to be a Christian to be a foster parent, and the children do not have to be religiously affiliated either. The goal is to get them into loving homes.

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