News

September 11, 2024

9,000 Capital Regional Children Served By CarePortal

Justice For Orphans (JFO) is excited to announce a milestone in its work with online Care-Sharing platform CarePortal: 9,000 children served in New York’s Capital Region since 2018.

“The majority of families served through CarePortal have little to no support system, which is why they are in the position to receive help,” says Sandra Flach, Justice For Orphans’ executive director. “That’s what makes CarePortal so special; the platform doesn’t just address physical needs but also creates an opportunity for families to connect with people who are eager to support them in other ways as well.” As an example, Flach recalls a story from Rensselaer County: “A young mother, who had worked hard to overcome addiction, needed help in creating a healthy and safe home before she could be reunited with her children. Through CarePortal, that mother was connected to a local church that not only supplied physical items deemed necessary by the case worker, but also provided the mother with transportation to her recovery meetings, and even helped her secure a job.”

First launched in 2015 to address the nation’s foster care crisis, CarePortal currently is used by nearly 2,000 requesting agencies across the U. S., and in parts of Canada. The technology connects child-serving professionals with local community members and specially trained churches, who can provide financial support and physical items as well as a meaningful connection.

JFO currently oversees CarePortal operations in nine New York counties – Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington – and is actively working to launch CarePortal in Orange and Ulster counties as well.