When I was 16, my mother died of a genetic heart condition. My father died from a diabetic emergency that injured him in a highway incident. Following my mother's death, my younger siblings and I resided with an older sibling and his family until the Summer of 2017. For that summer, my sister and I lived alone in his rented home until the new academic year started. I tried to take care of my sister plus continue with my extracurricular activities like interning with the Big Buddy Program to earn money for college. School started back up, and we continued to live in the rented home. Then one day, my brother came to the house and told us that he could no longer care for us. Instantly, we were homeless. From that time on, we stayed with different friends and relatives sleeping on couches and floors. My goal was to continue taking care of my sister, attending school and participating in my activities so I could get an excellent job to take care of my family. Unfortunately, transportation issues caused us to miss school, and I had no way to contact my teachers and classmates (who were probably worried about us) because I couldn't afford my cell phone.


We were sleeping at my nephew's girlfriend's residence at the time when the reality settled in that I was homeless. We called youth shelters, but there was no availability. I was physically overwhelmed and mentally beaten down. One of the most memorable moments of that experience was when the classmate I was living with told others at school that I was homeless. I felt exposed, embarrassed, humiliated. It was then that I spoke to my mentor about my situation; he offered to call DCFS [Department of Children and Family Services] before I had a nervous breakdown.


My foster care experience was bittersweet, 80% was good, and 20% was bad. I established bonds with my foster parent such that she allowed me to stay with her during the summer of transitioning to college. Looking back, more short- and long-term goal planning would've been helpful. And I could have also benefitted from behavioral health care and peer-to-peer support. 


Foster care was ok. I was most concerned about being separated from my sister. The first home was nice but had a lot of kids. The second home we lived in was too far from Central High School. The foster parent had strict curfew rules that interfered with my ability to participate in extracurricular activities, which I needed to appeal to colleges. The third placement was closer to school, and the Central Public School District arranged for a bus to pick me up. I was able to go to prom and participate in my clubs and senior activities. By this time, though, I was separated from my sister. Because of her attitude, she was moved to her fourth placement but thankfully, we still communicated. 


Now, I am a graduate of Spelman College in Georgia and have received a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University in New York.  As a senior, I believed I would go off to college and have a career in psychiatry and settle nicely somewhere back home. However, I did not expect to accomplish all that I have done. It’s a blessing how I overcame many of the odds. I feel inspired and grateful. God definitely has a precious light within me and salvation of me. 

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2024 - A Year in Review

By Leslie Lacy • January 17, 2025
read about what Fostering Hope Louisiana accomplished in 2024 with your help

Epiphany Grace

July 2, 2024
NOTE - The youth's names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. August 2023 My name is Epiphany Grace. I’m 15 years old and in the 7 th grade. In my free time I enjoy listening to worship songs and Zack Bryan. I play volleyball and softball (catcher, third, second and outfield) but it’s just a hobby. I came into foster care in December of 2022 because I was living with my sister who relapsed and because I missed a lot of school. Also, she was mentally and physically abusive to me. My mother is in Shreveport and my dad is in Kentucky. I do not want to live with them. If I had to rate my foster care experience, it has been good for me because my foster mom supports me. She was my science teacher, and she shows she cares about me. Actions speak louder than words. Foster care showed me a schedule and that there are other people out there who have been through things and it's not just me. The one bad thing about it is not having social media, but it’s probably a good thing. I needed it to be away from me, but I didn’t want it to be. I’m in therapy, where I get direction when I don’t know how to handle a problem. If I needed help, one person I could go to is my foster mom because she supports me in all of my ideas. I could also call on my DCFS case manager. I love her. She is the best I could ever have because she goes with the child’s best interest and puts my decision out there. June 2024 At a moment, I wanted to go back to the way I was living, not because I liked the situation but because I was never used to being stable and I’m not great with change. I’m so happy I stuck through my feelings and let God move in mysterious ways. I’m now adopted and love where I am so, therefore, wait and see what God has planned. Epiphany Grace’s Comments on her Banding Day June 17, 2024 Wow! This is just amazing. This feels weird but so relieving. I’m so excited for the future and what God has planned. I’m so grateful for Mrs. Leslie! She is a miracle from God. Without her none of this would be possible. It was a wait, but so worth it. You have done so much for all these kids/people who have been through the worst. I’m so blessed to have this happen to me. Banding Day Thoughts - A Foster Parent's Perspective Jenny – Epiphany Grace’s Foster Parent What a phenomenal program Fostering Hope Louisiana and Mrs. Lacy is. Little did I know that working in an orthodontic office at 18 years old would give me patience. Fast forward 23 years and I have been blessed with a foster child in desperate need of orthodontic care, not just for vanity’s sake, but also a dental need. However, when you say yes to the call, how do you afford it all. The short answer is, you don’t and that’s where Fostering Hope Louisiana has filled the gap and carried our foster child and us through this transition. The wait [for braces] was long but it allowed others to fall in love with our child. Waiting was hard and seemed to be never ending, then all of a sudden, we were funded and making appointments. For me, the process has taught me love, patience, and seeing God at work not only in our lives but seeing the generosity of others. For my foster daughter, today is a dream come true. For kids in foster care, basic survival is all they can think of, so braces are a pipe dream. Seeing her shed tears of joy because 1. She finally isn’t receiving empty and broken promises, and 2. the ONE thing that has given her so much insecurity is finally no longer going to stop her from truly smiling and so much radiant brightness. I can never say enough great things about this program and all it has done, is doing and will continue to do in the future. The best is yet to come! IT IS WORTH THE WAIT!!!  Epiphany Grace - Hindsight July 2024 Before I got my braces, I was impatient and always second guessed if I was ever going to get them. Mrs. Lacy did, in fact, guarantee that I was going to get them but there was always a thought in my head, “something is going to go wrong, and you won’t get them.” But I had hope. I always texted and checked in with her on how everything was going. When the day came to get them, I was so excited. The first ten days were the worst, but now everything is well. I’m so grateful that I just waited. Epiphany Grace's Thoughts on Therapy July 2024 Therapy! At first, I DID NOT want to go at AT ALL. I always said that I didn’t need or want it. I never wanted to go. In the room with my therapist, I always would watch the clock waiting for her to say, “Okay, you made it.” Now that I accepted the fact that I have to go to therapy, it’s been an amazing thing for me. I didn’t have a choice when it came to going to therapy. IT also majorly depends on your therapist. If you don’t like them, you will NOT like therapy. I love mine and now I look forward to it, so just keep giving it a try and see what good benefits it can bring you.

Jocelyn's Story

February 1, 2024
NOTE - The youth's names have been changed and images withheld for their privacy and protection because they are still in foster care awaiting permanence. Through their stories, though, their identities and personalities are as vivid as their futures are bright. My name is Jocelyn and I’m 17 years old. My playlist consists of Korn and Metallica. In my free time I like playing Pokémon, watching Anime, reading Manga and listening to music. They are the things I do to practice self-care. I have crooked teeth. I think that it would help me with my speaking because I have a lisp. I just want straight teeth. I’m probably going to work at like the mall or something. I’m thinking at Hot Topic. I don’t know if I want to go to school or anything. I came into care because my mom was mentally ill. She’s schizo-affective bi-polar, some other things like that. My bio dad died when I was like 3. After high school I'm probably going to work at the mall or something. I don't know if I want to go to school or something. My foster care experience overall was probably like okay but my first one was bad because they didn’t know anything about mental health and stuff like that. They were just like really hateful. They would compare their experience, or my old foster mom would compare her experiences and childhood trauma with ours. She was overall super childish and inappropriate. I have ADHD, she acted like I didn’t have it. There just wasn’t an effort to be compassionate or educate themselves about mental health. In my current foster home, they’re patient and the they know about mental health, like taking medication and know about that type of stuff. Foster care has made my life better because I feel like I opened up better (with my current placement), I am learning how to be an adult – like driving practice. If there was one thing I would change about foster care it would be mental health awareness. I feel like there can be more done with how the foster homes are chosen, like educating them about autism, disorders, and trauma and stuff like that. I wish my first foster home were more educated and understanding like my current home.
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