JRI/COVID-19 Navigator

Do you have a question about how JRI services, related to COVID-19 or otherwise?

(508) 468-6042
navigator@jri.org
Rachel Arruda

Rachel has been a part of the JRI team since January, 2000. For over 20 years, Rachel has been working in the field of human services assisting families with accessing and navigating services. Rachel received her Bachelors degree in psychology and Masters Degree in Public Administration from Bridgewater State University. She was promoted in July 2005 to Family Networks Program Director where she closely worked with the Department of Children Families for 10 years ensuring that children and families received the highest quality of individualized services ranging from community based through residential care. Rachel is very dedicated to helping the individuals she works with and is committed to improving the lives of children and families. Rachel’s passion for creative service programming inspires her in her role as JRI Service Navigator.

JRI Leader in Social Justice
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Services

Foster Care

Our foster care program is rooted in the principle that every child deserves to feel safe, to be nurtured, and to thrive. Our foster families and staff are committed to maximizing each child's potential within our stable and loving foster homes.

Looking for tips, support articles and additional information for foster parents?  Check out our Foster Care blog.

Interested in becoming a foster parent?  Complete the foster care inquiry form and one of our Homefinders will reach out to you.

Are you looking for other ways to help youth in foster care?  Consider a donation.

mother touching foster child's nose
At a Glance
This service is for
Focus: Matching caring people and safe homes with children and teens who need someone to support, nurture, and encourage them.
Age: birth through 21
Gender: male, female, transgender, non-conforming
Capacity: unlimited
Check out our Foster Care blog!
Fill out the foster care interest form.
Donate today to help support youth in foster care.
Let's Connect
Robert Costa
Program Director
132 South Main Street
Berkley, MA 02779
(508) 821-7774
Robert Costa
Program Director
3313 Washington Street Suite #3
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-2691
(508) 821-7774
Why Choose JRI?

When you become a foster parent at JRI, you will receive:

  • Access to 24/7 personalized on-call support
  • MAPP training as well as training in ARC Reflections, which is a caregiver model for working with children who have experienced trauma
  • Ongoing monthly trainings
  • Monthly support groups with other families
  • Generous monthly stipend
  • Weekly home visits
  • Consultation with mental health and educational experts such as educational consultation and psychological consultation
  • Quarterly family-fun events, such as movie night, Canobie Lake Park and the zoo, where the whole family is invited, including biological children
  • Quarterly Foster Care Advisory Group 
  • Access to our Back to School Supply Drive and Holiday Gift Drive
  • 5 paid vacation days per year
  • Access to dedicated respite parents
  • $500.00 sign-on bonus
  • $700.00 referral bonus
Interested in becoming a foster parent? Complete the foster care inquiry form.
JRI Foster Care
Listen and watch as these foster parents discuss their experiences with foster children. Also, hear from a former foster child, who was adopted into his forever home.
Connections

When children and teens come to us, we carefully match their needs with a foster family who has knowledge of and experience with those particular needs. In these safe and stable homes, healthy connections are formed. Children overcome their hardships, regain their confidence, and learn new life skills. We work together to help our children once again believe in themselves and in their futures.

Check out our foster care blog for great articles related to foster care.

Fill out the foster care interest form.

How to become a foster parent?
  1. Fill out our foster care inquiry form online or by telephone: (508) 821-7774.
  2. Have a conversation with one of our Home Finders to see if you meet the basic eligibility requirements to become a foster parent.
  3. Fill out the foster care application and CORI background check forms. These documents can all be completed online!
  4. A Home Finder will schedule a time to come out and ensure that your home meets all physical & safety standards.
  5. Complete and submit necessary paperwork. This can all be done online!
  6. Attend MAPP training at our office. MAPP is a 30-hour course that provides participates with a foundational knowledge of providing foster care in Massachusetts. Our course is held on the weekends.
  7. One of our Home Finders will complete a homestudy on your home. The Home Finder will interview all household members during this process.
  8. Once your homestudy is approved you will become a licensed foster parent!
Foster Care Foster Hope

At JRI's Foster Care Program, we are committed to ensuring that the unique gifts, talents, interests. and goals of our children are respected, supported, and nurtured. At the same time, we work to meet their physical and emotional needs. Sometimes stressors within their own family such as neglect, domestic violence, abuse, or untreated mental illness may cause a child or teen to enter foster care. The children come to us feeling scared, sad, and confused. Our qualified and caring team of foster parents and staff help them feel safe and understood. We support the children through their grief and pain, and we guide them toward healing and hope.

Check out our foster care blog for great articles related to foster care.

Woman helping child
Being a foster mother is my calling. I was fostered when I was young; I knew that I wanted to help others. I am able to give back the love that was given to me.
Sheila
foster parent for 10 years
Preparing for Foster Care

Deciding to open your home to a foster child is a major life decision. Your whole world changes when you foster. While it isn't a bad thing, it also isn't an easy thing. People in your world will be impacted by your decision so it's important to talk with those closest to you to consider what fostering will mean. 

 
Foster Care Blog
Fostering: Am I Ready? Am I Enough?
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on April 2, 2021
How long have you been thinking about fostering?  Is this a new idea or something you’ve considered for some time? This is often the first question… read more
Tags: Foster Care , Choose a Foster Care Agency, Be a Foster Parent, How to be a Foster Parent, Foster Parent, Start to Foster, Foster a Child, Massachusetts Foster Care, Massachusetts Foster Parent, Ready to Foster, Can I be a Foster Parent, Eligibility Requirements to Foster Care, Successful Foster Parent, Foster Care Success
Foster Care: Take a Look, Send a Book
By Courtney Edge-Mattos on January 29, 2021
This month, JRI Foster Care is hosting a book drive.  To be perfectly honest, we have no end date for this and hope to keep our book list ever-… read more
Tags: reading, Literacy, Foster Care , Foster Child, Foster Children, Early Childhood Education, Be a Foster Parent, Foster Care Agency, support foster care
A Foster Care Message: Grateful Hearts in 2020
By Robert Costa Jr. on December 2, 2020
As 2020 winds down, we all know that it has been a tumultuous year. But despite the difficulties we have faced, I know there are people we can call,… read more
Tags: Foster Care , Choose a Foster Care Agency, Foster Care Massachusetts, Be a Foster Parent, Foster Child, Foster Children, Help Foster Children, Giving Tuesday
Request More Information

For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your individualized need, please fill out the form below. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the Program Director listed in the “Let’s Connect” box above.

Please note that this form is not HIPAA compliant.  We urge you not to include protected health information.

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