May is National Foster Care Month, and at the Oregon Youth Authority, foster care is far more than a place to stay. Throughout Oregon, foster families create safe, loving, supportive homes where youth continue their reformation work and move closer to independent living or family reunification. These youth are on probation or parole, possibly reentering the community after time in a facility or a residential treatment program, or moving to a community that is not where they grew up. Some may carry histories of trauma, instability, and displacement, and may have consequential reasons they cannot live with their family. And some may have been part of the Department of Human Services’s foster care system (which is completely separate from OYA’s foster care system).
What OYA’s foster program offers youth is a shot at something simple but profound: stability, connection, and the space to change.
Brandon, now in his 40s, entered OYA custody as a teenager. His parole officer told Dave and Maria Mihm – the couple who would become his foster parents – not to expect much, but they didn’t listen. “They brought a lot of love where I didn’t have it,” Brandon said, “and showed me that… there was no point in trying to keep fighting the system, or whatever it may be that I was fighting against at that age.” More than 25 years later, he still calls Dave and Maria “Mom and Dad.” They are his kids’ grandparents. “We still hang out. We still do Christmases together.”
For the Mihms, who have fostered more than 130 youth since 1997, it was never about saving anyone. “When you come to us, you’re ours,” Maria said. “Not that you don’t belong to somebody else, but if you’re with us, you’re going to be included in family events. You’re going to be included in whatever we do.” Dave added, “It’s a package deal. And all our family knows that too. When they invite us to something, they’re not just inviting Dave and Maria – they’re inviting all of us.”
That level of care and consistency defines OYA’s foster care model. “Foster care is a wraparound service,” said juvenile parole and probation officer Renee Hernandez. “Foster parents have access to a lot of different resources…and as POs, it’s a requirement that we see the kids at least once a month face to face, if not more.” OYA foster certifiers also provide regular oversight, working closely to troubleshoot with foster parents. Certifiers contact foster families weekly and visit each house at least once a month. Youth are placed intentionally based on individual needs. “We consider who the youth are,” says juvenile parole and probation officer Priscila Hasselman, and “[place] them with a family that can support and understand their identity.”
Youth currently living in the Mihms’ home say the experience is nothing like they expected – but everything they needed. “I moved in, and I just thought it was going to be, like, another program,” one youth reflected. “But when you’re here, like they said, you’re part of their family.” Another shared, “I love these people like they’re my own parents. I’m really grateful that they’ve been able to help kids like me.” Another youth shared, both simply and profoundly, that the Mihms, “helped me learn how to care about my life.”
Tonya and Mike Hoover are new to fostering but understood immediately that their job was to make foster youth feel “loved and accepted and taken care of.” From the very beginning, the Hoovers told their foster youth, “he’s part of our family as long as he needs to be here.” Not long after his arriving, the Hoovers threw him a birthday party, inviting his friends and family to attend as well. Like the Mihms, the Hoovers have become football parents, spending cold, rainy nights cheering their youth from the sidelines. And next year, after Tonya retires, she looks forward to “be[ing] a stay-at-home mom for his senior year so I can be at everything.”
Sometimes youth go to OYA foster homes because they require a clean break from their former environment. One young person explained, “Before, I just thought I was gonna be a gangster the rest of my life… I didn’t care about anything. I didn’t care about following the rules. And now to me, following the rules [is] very important. I take it very seriously now, because I’ve seen what happens when you don’t.” Another said, “If I would’ve gone back [home], it wouldn’t have been good… Coming out here, this place has been very structured, and they keep me feeling welcome.”
Dave and Maria know that not every youth who passes through their home will stay in touch, but many do. “We’ve had kids that, when they leave here, they’ve made great decisions,” Dave said. “And [others] when they left here and made bad decisions.” One former youth now in federal prison still calls them regularly. “He was so locked into that gang life that he couldn’t break loose of it. But he still calls us. You know, even though we’re no longer their foster parents, we’re still going to say something if we see something.”
“We didn’t put all this work in to just send them back out,” Dave said. “Whether it’s OYA stepping up or us stepping in, we’re not going to let our kids fall through the cracks.”
The need for more OYA foster families is great – especially families that reflect the cultural and racial identities of OYA youth. Recruitment is ongoing, and if you would like to learn more you can reach out to the OYA Foster Care Program Manager, Robyn Marshall, at Robyn.R.Marshall@oya.oregon.gov or 971-283-5004.