by Amanda Stanley
Home sweet home. It is a sentiment that can conjure feelings of warmth, contentment, traditions, and safety. Whether they grew up in the suburbs with large lawns and outdoor play or in the city with close neighbors and a sense of extended family, many adults can look back with happy thoughts of their childhood.
Sadly, there are some adults who don’t enjoy reminiscing because “home sweet home” was not reality for them growing up in foster care. With every generation, the number of children placed in foster care grows, but the number of foster homes has not kept up with the demand. We currently have a severe lack of foster homes, leading to children sleeping in office buildings and other make-shift spaces.
In North Carolina, there are 10,899 children in foster care, and only about 5,000 foster homes. In Wake County, there are more than 500 children in foster care and fewer than 100 homes available to accept children. There is a significant number of children who don’t feel safe and loved in a stable environment.
These children have done nothing wrong. They have been placed in foster care by the state, for their own well-being, but there are not enough foster homes to take them in. This is an ongoing and increasing problem, not only in North Carolina, but around the country. It is a difficult problem to address, but a group of individuals from southern Wake County have come together in hopes of making a difference for at least some of these children. Their goal is to build Cypress View Children’s Home — a neighborhood designed specifically for foster families, thus creating happy childhoods for the children they will serve.
Laura White, executive director of Cypress View, and Steven Eisenberg, vice board chair, are not new to the world of foster care. Both have fostered children and adopted children from foster care. Their dream is to provide a Christ-centered space for foster families to thrive by providing a stable home life and support services for foster parents and foster children alike.
White explains that her dream of providing a foster community began to take shape while having dinner with friends. She and her husband shared that they wanted to develop a long-term residential care facility but didn’t know what that would look like. Their friends, Zach and Arielle Angle, said that they had a piece of land in Dunn and had been praying about what to do with it. The Angles offered the land on the spot. Nineteen and a half acres. The future site of Cypress View Children’s Home. Although based in Dunn, Cypress View will be helping families in Holly Springs, and the surrounding areas.
White immediately got to work building a board of directors, all like-minded in wanting to help foster children. Eisenberg was approached by his pastor who knew his heart for foster care. He says he was overwhelmed with the honor at first but believes that he was made for this purpose.
White and Eisenberg, along with six other board members, have been busy developing their plan, starting with obtaining Cypress View’s 501(c)(3) designation in 2023. Additionally, they have established a fundraising plan and have been securing early funding while spreading the word about the future needs of the community.
The board’s early work included researching other group homes in the country. Their research led them to partner with Big Oak Ranch in Alabama, a children’s home that has been in operation for more than 50 years. As a partner, Big Oak Ranch is providing mentorship, strategic guidance, and practical resources to the board of Cypress View. With the support of Big Oak Ranch and the Southern Wake community, Cypress View will be able to build homes that transform the lives of children in need.
“We want a place where kids feel safe and like they are in a family,” said White. “We want to get them off cots in offices and renovated jails and into a home setting.”
Cypress View will be licensed to serve children of all ages, but the board has decided to focus on children ages 5 to 18, as they are typically harder to place in traditional foster care.
Construction crews will break ground on the first two of nine homes in Cypress View in spring 2027. Each home will be approximately 4,500 square feet and is thoughtfully designed to support six to eight children. The homes will feature a master bedroom suite for the houseparents, a large kitchen and family space, a homework area, and six bedrooms arranged with three bathrooms. Homes will be specific for boys and girls, and the neighborhood setting will allow for siblings to live in the same community.
Each home will have full-time houseparents. This is a couple who have been vetted by the state and have undergone all the requirements to become foster parents. They can apply to Cypress View, and if selected, will participate in additional training. The couple must agree to at least one parent staying at home. One parent may work outside of the community. Houseparents are not charged rent and are provided with groceries and other essential items.
Houseparents will have the support of the Cypress View board, a social worker, and community support groups on an ongoing basis. Additionally, volunteers will be provided for respite care for the houseparents at least once a month. This arrangement ensures that foster parents have the resources and support they need to continue caring for the children.
“Currently, thirty percent of traditional foster parents are leaving fostering after about two years, many due to lack of support,” explained White. “At Big Oak Ranch, foster parents are staying in the community an average of 15 years.”
A key component of the Cypress View structure is that children will not be moved even if the houseparents choose to leave. New houseparents will move into the home and children remain where they are. This arrangement gives the child a sense of belonging and ownership.
“We are changing the kids’ mindset to know that they are not the problem,” said Eisenberg. “Keeping them in their home can prevent much of their anxiety and protect them from the harm of those anxious feelings.”
Houseparents will have the flexibility to run their home the way they would if they were traditional foster parents. They schedule meals, homework time, traditions, and other activities. Cypress View leadership wants houseparents to be the best caregivers they can be while focusing on Cypress View’s core values of providing children with loving families, holistic care, and Christian discipleship.
The vision for Cypress View is to build nine homes, supporting up to 72 children. These children have endured emotionally damaging situations, and the more Cypress View can provide to help restore their sense of continuity and well-being, the better. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Black River, providing natural wetlands and recreational spaces, and will eventually include a multipurpose center with a gym and classrooms. White and Eisenberg both expressed hope that the greater community will embrace the children of this neighborhood. They encourage community members to volunteer to lead recreation classes such as sports, arts and crafts, theater, reading groups, and more.
“We want to invite the community in,” shared White. “We want them to take their talents and gifts and pour into the kids.”
Eisenberg echoed that sentiment by explaining that they don’t want to become insular. They need volunteers to run programs and help these children the best they can.
The board of Cypress View Children’s Home has a long-term goal of getting children into homes where they can experience safety, belonging, care, and hope. Doing that automatically leads to another outcome about which White and Eisenberg feel strongly. They want to have an impact on these children so they can break the cycle of foster care. According to the National Institute of Health, forty-six percent of children who age-out of foster care are homeless by the age of 26. It is a documented concern that children of parents who were formerly in foster care are more likely to be placed in foster care themselves.
“Most kids in foster care are children of parents in turmoil, who were in foster care themselves,” said Eisenberg. “The truth is, if we can impact one child, that impacts the future.”
At Cypress View Children’s Home, the mission is to serve abused, neglected, and vulnerable children by providing safe, loving, Christ-centered homes that endeavor to meet each child’s individual needs. The board at Cypress View is in the midst of a capital campaign and you can make a single or monthly donation by visiting cypressviewnc.org. If you are part of a group or company that would like to contribute to Cypress View, they would be happy to meet with you. There is a contact form on their website.
“The idea is that this is long-standing,” said Eisenberg. “We are working patiently and slowly to build a strong foundation.”
