Growing in Birmingham
GROWING IN BIRMINGHAM
By Pathways
Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries and Pathways Professional Counseling continues to deeply impact the lives of hurting children and families across our state.
We have experienced . . .
315% increase in children served in foster care (from 75 to 311) since 1997
410% increase in foster families (from 41 to 209) since 2008
1,128% increase in counseling clients (from 284 to 3,490) since 1997
Since the beginning of 2018, we have had to turn down services to more than 60 children in Foster Care because there was no availability in the Birmingham area. In order to add additional foster homes, it would require adding additional staff and providing appropriate workspace for them. As we continue to grow, this expansion will provide more opportunities to do just that. Additionally, because our Pathways counselors have full caseloads, there is a two to three month wait for individuals seeking counseling services in our Birmingham office.
Due to these growing needs to serve more children and families, we are excited to be expanding and enhancing our Foster Care ministry and Pathways Professional Counseling, as well as our available parking area, allowing us to host larger training opportunities for parents and volunteers alike!
The renovation plan allows our Social Services team to grow from six shared offices to 13 offices, creating adequate space to meet job demands and serve even more kids from hard places. To help improve the quality of our services we are building a . . .
larger training room, waiting room, interview room, and family visitation room.
playground for children to enjoy while waiting at our office or visiting with family.
staging facility to house donations for foster families, supplies for Camp of Champions, as well as an area for staging and sorting Christmas gifts and other items for children and families.
In addition, Pathways Professional Counseling will be expanded and enhanced with the completion of a new counseling facility. This new building will increase our counseling capacity from eight shared offices to 16 offices. This will also allow us to provide more counseling services for children who have experienced trauma or attachment issues by increasing the number of rooms needed to facilitate therapy from two to six.
We will also enhance the quality of services offered with the addition of a large training/conference room, as well as a walking path and outdoor basketball area, both of which will primarily be used for counseling with children and teenagers.
We expect construction to begin in October of 2018, and during that time, our Pathways Counseling and Social Services teams will temporarily relocate to 2104 Rocky Ridge Road.
God is growing our ministry in many exciting ways, and we are grateful for the support of so many who continue to come alongside us to support these efforts!
If you would like to make a financial gift in support of this new season of growth with us, you can do that here through the form below, or call us at 1-888-720-8805.