Nonpro t
BY JULIANNA WASHBURN
Isaiah 117 House changes how foster care begins As a child spends hours cooking in a ful- ly-stocked kitchen, Emily Miller, who leads the Isaiah 117 House serving Montgomery and Walker counties, knows the minutes slip by a little easier. Miller said in that kitchen, the child can focus on cooking, instead of what occurred hours before. This is one of the goals of Isaiah 117 House, which aims to reduce trauma for children who are waiting for placement with a foster family. The nonpro t opened its house serving Montgomery and Walker counties in January. Two-minute impact Usually, when children are removed from their homes by Child Protective Services, they are brought to the department’s o ce, Miller said. “A lot of the kiddos that are being picked up are dirty. They don’t have clothes that t. ... Case- workers don’t have the resources at the o ce to care for those needs,” Miller said. Isaiah 117 House provides the children with a home, stocked with clean clothes, beds, food, bath items and toys, where they can stay instead. How it works The home, which has two bedrooms with one visitation space that can also serve as a private bedroom, can host multiple children or families. During their time in the home, a child can choose what they’d like to do with their time, whether it be sleeping, reading or cooking, Miller said. The home is equipped with play areas, a kitchen and a living room, as well as fully furnished bathrooms and bedrooms. “We want to reduce trauma for the child on that removal day. So whatever that looks like—cooking, if that means swing[ing] on the swing set at 2 a.m.—we’re going to go out and we’re going to do that,” Miller said. The nonpro t also works to lighten the load for the caseworker who will stay at the house with the child and help ease the transition for the future foster family by ensuring kids leave with clothes and other necessities like school supplies. Miller said 34 children have come through the Montgomery-Walker County Isaiah 117 House since the location opened. Miller also said there are currently 97 volunteers at the house. Looking ahead, Miller said the nonpro t is working to open an Isaiah 117 House in Brazoria County and is looking for land to create a location in Fort Bend County. To learn more, visit https:// linktr.ee/isaiah117housemontgomerytx.
The Isaiah 117 House serving Montgomery and Walker counties opened at the end of January. Since opening, 34 children have gone through the home.
PHOTOS COURTESY ISAIAH 117 HOUSE
The upstairs is lled with supplies for children to help ease the transition into their future foster placement.
The rooms are furnished with two beds with a trundle bed underneath each.
Recent local and state foster care data 1,568 total children in foster care in August within Region 6* 179 children in foster care in August in Montgomery County 800 con rmed cases of child abuse reported in Montgomery County in 2024 53,543 con rmed cases of child abuse reported in Texas in 2024
The backstory The Isaiah 117 House story began in Tennessee with founder and executive director Rhonda Paulson. Paulson and her husband, Corey, went through training to become foster parents, which is where they found out that children had to wait for placement at the Department of Children’s Services o ce. That’s where the rst seed for the Isaiah 117 House was planted, according to the nonpro t’s website. “I couldn’t imagine a scared child sitting in such a sterile, cold environment waiting to learn their fate,” Paulson states on the Isaiah 117 House website.
*INCLUDES MONTGOMERY COUNTY SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION
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