Heart Gallery of El Paso: Respite Care in partnership with the El Paso Center for Children

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - The Heart Gallery of El Paso's mission is to help children in foster care find loving permanent homes.

The organization works with community members to provide guidance and services for foster families at every point in the journey.

"El Paso Center for Children is offering respite care for youth who have been adopted, and this are youth that are 11 to 17, and they can, come in just to have some time away from their family or if their family has to go into the hospital and they have no place to go, or, if the parents are going out of town and they don't have a place for the youth to stay, this is a safe place for them to come," Beatriz Marino Olivares, Division Director of Viva Region Housing explained.

Respite care is program that is offered in partnership between the Heart Gallery of El Paso and the El Paso Center for Children. The resource for adoptive parents provides a restorative break.

"We do activities throughout the day. If they're in school, we take them to school. If they have activities after school, we gladly transport them and bring them back. We provide them with food. They can do their laundry here, watch TV, play video games during the weekend. We take them out to outings, to the movies, bowling, whatever the youth decides they wanna do," all in a safe environment. Newly adoptive children continue with their daily activities and socialize with other children, while their parents take time to restore.

Heart Gallery of El Paso, not only "connects children in foster care with permanent, loving homes" they also continue to offer free support and resources to families throughout their entire adoption journey.

"We believe every family deserves to feel stable and strong for the long term, which is why respite care and free counseling are available to all families who have grown from adoption or a PMC program," said the Heart Gallery of El Paso.

To apply for respite care, visit heartgalleryelpaso.org, go to the post adoption tab, and register.