There continues to be a need for more foster parents in Minnesota. Jodi Raidt, statewide program director with LSS Therapeutic Foster Care services says there are about 9,300 children and young adults in foster care on any given day in the state. There are even more kids waiting to be placed in a home.

“Our greatest need at the moment is really going to be teens, school-age children, and sibling groups,” Jodi said. “Families that are open to meeting those care needs, we would love if you would join in with us”

Human trafficking is a growing concern throughout the country, and even small communities in Minnesota are not immune.

Kate LePage with Saving Grace, and LSS service that supports survivors of sex trafficking, was among presenters at an at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Backus focusing on trafficking and exploitation. 

Read more at the Brainerd Dispatch. 

The Virginia Family Resource Center serving the Iron Range and northern St. Louis County will suspend emergency shelter services by the end of June after 40 years of operation, reflecting a shift in services to better care for children needing overnight, emergency shelter. The 10-bed shelter in Virginia is operated by Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) with funding from St. Louis County. Other services based out of the Family Resource Center will continue with LSS staff, supporting families in northern St. Louis County to prevent the need for placements.

Heather Kamia’s nine-year-old daughter was recently begging to meet up in person with particular friend. The mom had to remind her why this wasn’t possible for several reasons, including the fact that her little sister is immunocompromised. Her daughter’s response: “You don’t know what it’s like to be a kid in a pandemic.”

Like Kamia—program director of Metro Youth and Family Services at the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota—just about every parent in the country has been confronted with these kinds of guilt-inducing situations for over a year.

Martha Gutierrez, an LSS foster care coordinator in Alexandria, was introduced to the Alexandria community in a recent article about foster care in the area. Martha moved to Alexandria from California, where she served as a social worker with San Bernardino County for more than 30 years.

After working in a government agency setting, Martha now recruits foster families, provides specialized training and gives in-home support with LSS Therapeutic Foster Care services.

“It has been such sheer joy to be on the other side,” Martha said.

May is National Foster Care Month

The Central Minnesota Council on Aging has awarded LSS more than $60,000 to offer continued support to caregivers.

According to a press release, the CMCOA gave LSS $63,231 to support caregivers in their roles and also for them to “receive a break from their caregiving responsibilities, access resources to grow their caregiving skills, and connect with others through support groups with its Caregiver Support Services.”

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota was selected to serve as one of nine, federally-funded Community Resource Hubs to help pregnant and parenting families with young children navigate Minnesota’s early childhood services. Hubs will shift the burden of finding help from those seeking services to organizations that connect them with the supports they need.

April is Financial Literacy Month, an opportunity to increase your knowledge about money management and improve your personal finances. For LSS Financial Counseling, a nonprofit service that offers free financial assessments and budget counseling to the community, it’s an opportunity to share advice and information about how to create a more stable financial future, especially as Minnesotans face financial uncertainty during the pandemic.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) was awarded $63,231 from the Central Minnesota Council on Aging (CMCOA) to continue supporting caregivers and helping Minnesotans receive a break from their caregiving responsibilities, access resources to grow their caregiving skills and connect with others through support groups, with its Caregiver Support Services.