Our Mission
To provide advocacy, intervention, and support to interrupt generational trauma, build healthy communities, and develop stable, connected children and families.
Apply to Foster
Being a foster parent is an incredibly rewarding experience that comes with unique challenges.
Info Sessions
Join us on the first Tuesday of every month to get all your questions answered!
and calendar here.
Connect With Us
For questions about foster care at GOBHI, please contact Director of Foster Care, Adam Rodakowski:
Email: ARodakowski@gobhi.org
Phone: (541) 256-4587
Do you have questions about being a foster parent in Oregon?
We're here to help! Check out our frequently asked questions at the link below.
You can also email us at fostercare@gobhi.org
or call us at (541) 256-4587.
About GOBHI's
Foster Care Program
As a co-owner of the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, GOBHI has connections to behavioral health networks throughout Oregon. Our Foster Care program sprang from seeing the need for safe places for foster youth to land throughout the state. The result is that we are uniquely poised to connect foster youth and foster families so they can thrive.
Our foster parents are a vital part of our team-based, trauma-informed approach. These families open their homes to provide care and we provide training, a 24-7 support line, and more. Together we use a Collaborative Problem Solving® approach with foster youth ages 3 through 21, referred to us from the Child Welfare System or their local Community Mental Health Program.
Being in the system is hard enough, so disruptive that only 49% of Oregon foster youth have a high school diploma or GED by the time they're 21. We do everything we can to keep youth in their home communities, in the same schools, and near their existing support systems. With support and understanding of why they struggle in the first place, these kids can thrive.
To provide those safe spaces to land, though, we need more foster homes. Learn more about the journey to becoming a GOBHI Foster Parent today!
Ways to Get Involved
Therapeutic Foster Care
Typical length of GOBHI youth placement: 6-24 months
Our program provides full-time services and care to youth involved with the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Welfare Division. Full-time foster parents receive 2 paid days off per month.
GOBHI is a proud member of the Foster Plus collaborative, connecting youth in need of extra support with care that’s a step up from traditional foster care.
Relief Care
Typical length of relief care: 2-14 days
Relief care providers indicate when they are available to accept youth into their homes for short periods of time, either for planned or crisis care. (See our FAQ page for more.)
It allows more flexibility than full-time care and is a vital resource for our other foster parents. Youth are enrolled in our Foster Plus program or are involved with their local Community Mental Health Program.
Referral Program
Receive a reward for referring foster families to GOBHI! To qualify, the potential foster parent must put you down as the referral source on their application and cannot be certified DHS Child Welfare or other foster care agency at the time of application. Upon their certification, you receive $500, and an additional $500 once they have provided one year of care.
Pass this flier on to anyone you think might be interested in fostering!
Minimum Qualifications
Must be an Oregon resident 21 years or older and be willing to:
-
Complete a criminal and child welfare background check
-
Keep an emotionally and financially stable household
-
Provide a separate bedroom for foster youth
-
Have fewer than 4 children living in your home if you are a single applicant, or fewer than 5 children if you are two-parent applicants
-
Cannot be certified with multiple foster care agencies at the same time
Your Roadmap to Becoming a Foster Parent
Start the Certification Process
Complete your application, additional materials, and attend GOBHI’s Foster Parent Institute sessions. No need to leave home—we bring the orientation to you!