Evansville Non-Profit Asking for Clothing for Teens Entering Foster Care

Being a Teen Is Hard Enough Without Losing Your Safe Place

Parenting a teenager is tough. You never quite know which personality is walking through the door from one day to the next. But let's be honest. Being a teenager is even tougher.

On top of body changes, school pressure, extracurriculars, and learning how to navigate relationships, some kids are dealing with something much heavier. For them, home is not a safe place at all.

Teenagers in Indiana Foster Care Need Support

About 31,000 children are in Indiana’s foster care system, and many of them are teenagers. Some have spent most of their lives in foster care. Others are entering the system for the very first time.

These kids are often carrying deep emotional trauma from being separated from their families and everything familiar. They are also facing huge uncertainty about what comes next, all while trying to survive one of the hardest stages of life.

How Isaiah 117 House Began

Back in 2014, Ronda Paulson and her husband Corey decided to become foster parents. During their required training at the Washington County TN Department of Children’s Services, they learned something that would change their family forever.

Kids waiting for foster placement sometimes had to stay overnight at the DCS office. In some cases, that meant sleeping in a conference room.

That reality broke their hearts. It was right then that the idea for Isaiah 117 House was born. They imagined a place where children could go during this 'in-between' moment. Somewhere clean, welcoming, and filled with loving volunteers to help soften a terrifying transition.

The Moment That Changed Everything

In November 2015, the Paulsons received a call to pick up their first foster son. When they arrived, he had nothing. His clothes were dirty, too small, and worn thin.

Ronda has said that was the day God placed Isaiah 117 House on her heart for the second time.

She began asking hard but hopeful questions. What if there was a home where children could go the moment they were removed? What if they were greeted by smiles instead of cubicles? What if there were clean clothes, snacks, toys, comfy beds, books, and warm blankets waiting for them?

Turning a Dream Into Reality

In 2017, that vision became real.

Inspired by Isaiah 1:17, which calls us to defend the cause of the fatherless, Ronda imagined a home with open living spaces, stocked kitchens, bedrooms for boys and girls, play areas, and volunteers ready at a moment’s notice to love kids on one of the worst days of their lives.

Isaiah 117 House Comes to Evansville

In July 2020, the first Isaiah 117 House in Indiana opened in Vanderburgh County.

Located on Evansville’s east side, it looks like any other home in the neighborhood. That is exactly the point. It offers warmth, comfort, and calm during an incredibly painful moment.

Ronda believes these homes change the way foster care begins, not just for the children, but for caseworkers and future foster families as well.

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How You Can Help Teens Right Now

Isaiah 117 House relies on donations to care for their short-term residents, and right now, they are asking for help with teen clothing.

They are specifically in need of new adult size clothing from XS to XXL. Most teens prefer simple, comfortable items they can wear to school. Think sweatpants, leggings, sweatshirts, plain short sleeve shirts, and zip up jackets.

For shoes, tennis shoes and slip on styles like Crocs, Birkenstocks, or Ugg style shoes are favorites.

They do only accept new items, but if you shop through their Amazon wish list, everything ships directly to the house.

There is something powerful about receiving brand new clothes during a moment that feels anything but normal. A fresh outfit and a new pair of shoes might seem small, but for a teen walking through one of the hardest days of their life, it can mean everything.

Drop off donations at any designated drop site or shop their Amazon list here
https://linktr.ee/isaiah117housevanderburghin

If you aren't comfortable buying teen clothing, there is also a need for bin buddies. Volunteers keep bins stocked with day-to-day essentials that kids need. Here's how to sign up to become a bin buddy. 

All donations are tax-deductible, as per IRS Regulations.

Read More: Foster Parents are Needed NOW in Indiana

Sometimes love looks like sweatpants, sneakers, and showing up when it matters most.