Thank you for considering helping children 
and teens in need through opening your heart to become a Shelter Home Family

Strengthening VC Families needs qualified families to serve as resource Emergency Shelter Homes for children and youth who need immediate, short-term care ranging anywhere from 1-60 days. This is a chance to make a large impact in the life of a child or older youth who has experienced trauma and needs love and support. Not only will it make a difference in their life, but it will also make a positive impact and add value to your family’s life as well.

We believe that children who go into out-of-home care require support, love, and most of all compassion. They need a place where they can feel safe and secure. They need someone who will show them that their lives have value. As a Shelter Home Family, you would be providing comfort, safety, and a loving environment where children and youth can heal and begin to thrive. Your family’s life will be enhanced, expanded and made more meaningful by becoming an Emergency Shelter Home for children and youth who need support, love and mentoring as their families heal.

If you’ve ever wanted to make a difference in the world, now is your chance.

At Strengthening VC Families, We Believe

Ventura County’s Children and Family Services has created an innovative, forward thinking division that has a number of ways to help families succeed. To help families come back together. To give children and youth love and support and care at all times. We believe it is possible.

Help strengthen families in your neighborhood

Learn more about becoming a resource family

Stop child trafficking in Ventura County

Collaborations with our
local faith communities

Learn how we achieve permanency for families

Learn how you can help Support Youth in Ventura County

More program
information coming soon

Learn how your business can help our community

Strengthening VC Families

The County of Ventura Human Services Agency, Children and Family Services (CFS) vision is to offer support, hope and opportunity to those families and children in need. It is through this vision we have developed the Strengthening VC Families approach.

Our Family and Youth Services are geared around our belief that every child deserves permanency, and every family deserves to stay together whenever it is safe. We also wholeheartedly believe and strive toward the ideal that it takes an entire community to help keep a family together by showing them love and support.

Through Strengthening VC Families, we strive to make a paradigm shift away from rescuing children and instead utilizing our family and youth services towards working together with our professionals as well as members of the community to keep families together whenever possible, especially our amazing resource families. Our main goal at Ventura County Children and Family Services is to keep children safe while strengthening their families and providing a network of community support around them.

We Believe

Safe at Home

We believe families can keep their children safe with support. And if they can’t…

Caregiving

We believe children and youth should be cared for in a familiar, nurturing, and safe environment.
And while they are in care…

Child’s Experience

We believe every child and youth is entitled to thrive through stability, family connections, quality treatment and a voice in planning.

Parental Support for Reunification

We believe, through partnership and support, parents can grow and change in order to safely parent their children. And if the children cannot return home…

Forever Connections

We believe all children and youth deserve a sense of belonging and an unconditional commitment in a lifelong family, supported by their communities.

Relationships

We believe in the power of human relationships to heal and grow. The people who serve and support children, youth and families are our greatest resource.