As a Host Family, you open your home to a child while their parents work toward stability. Your support can ease a child's stress, build trust, and show them that there are so many caring adults in their corner. You have the opportunity to come alongside both children and parents, helping them stay connected to community and reminding them that they are not alone. Most of all, you get to share the love of Christ in a tangible way.
Becoming a Host Family starts with simply being open to loving on a child in your home. The journey begins when a hosting need arises, and our Support Line Supervisor shares the opportunity. Each Host Family can prayerfully decide whether it's the right fit for their family and schedule.
If a family says yes, a Family Coach helps everyone get connected and walks through the hosting details so both the Host Family and parent feel supported from the start. Host Families are not expected to do this alone. New Mercies and the church community come alongside them with meals, clothing for the kids, car seats, and other resources as needs arise.
Throughout the hosting, the Family Coach stays connected with both the Host Family and parent, offering encouragement and helping navigate any challenges along the way. While Host Families provide care for the child, many also build meaningful relationships with parents, creating connections that can last long after the hosting ends.
When a parent reaches their stability goals, the children return to their parents. And often, the story does not end there. Many Host Families continue walking alongside the families they have come to know, offering friendship, encouragement, and ongoing community.
Host Family Spotlight
When Carly’s family first hosted Amara*, she was one-year-old who wasn't walking or talking yet. Now, she runs through their house with their sons, who she calls "da boys." What began as a one-week hosting turned into eight months of doing life together and deep connection, not just with Amara, but with her mom, Star*. Over those months, the Bickels became Star's "village," and the relationship was a beautiful reminder that hosting is not just giving a child a safe place to stay, but a chance to form a friendship.
“We have our parents or our siblings, but we love that we can be her village..."
Carly, Host Mom