We are working to fill immediate needs for some of our community’s most vulnerable, children in foster care. With the “stay home, stay safe” mandate, children in Washington’s foster care system are unable to visit their biological parents in person. In addition to the trauma that took them from their home, they are now left without the ability to connect with their family member(s) trying to work towards reunification. This unfortunate situation creates an even greater need to have access to a device that allows for video communication. Additionally, school is typically the one consistently safe place through a child in care’s journey, and with an inability to attend school on a regular basis, additional stress is added to the situation for all involved.

Many children in the foster care system do not have access to a computer for schoolwork or must share time with multiple members in their home to be able to complete their classwork. Statistics show that a foster child loses about 4 to 6 months of education each time they are moved. We at Homestead Community fear that children in foster care will fall even further behind their classmates during this time increasing the educational disparity gap.

Homestead is immediately purchasing 5 laptops and we invite you to join with us to help raise funds towards another 5 laptops. Through a partnership with Popular Networks we are able to get each laptop, fully loaded and ready for use for $400. We know that many are struggling financially, but if you find yourself in a position to help, we ask that you consider partnering with us to meet this need!