Local Nonprofit Purchases New Home to Expand Therapeutic Services to Youth
Local artist MacRae Wylde made this sculpture to symbolize The Next Door. It is located in front of The Next Door’s office at 1113 Kelly Ave in The Dalles.
By: The Next Door, Inc.
At The Next Door, Inc. (TNDI), we envision a supportive community where all children are healthy, safe, and valued. Since opening in 1971, TNDI has worked tirelessly to make our vision a reality, providing care to foster children for over 52 years, among many other critical social services. With an ever-growing number of foster children and an ongoing shortage of therapeutic foster homes, TNDI saw a need in our community. We are thrilled to announce that we have stepped up to fill that need and have purchased a home in The Dalles to care for foster children from throughout Oregon!
This investment reflects our continued commitment to supporting children and families in the Gorge and improving the communities we serve. The new home’s purchase also allows us to expand our capacity to care for youth in need by providing a safe and nurturing home, staffed by dedicated professionals.
The Next Door Inc. is recognized for our excellent care by the state of Oregon and undergoes a rigorous licensing process every other year, as well as annual site reviews by numerous state departments. The youth will be supervised at all times by team members from The Next Door who have been recruited, trained, and supported by TNDI to ensure every youth receives the care and attention they need to thrive.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to expand the reach of our Treatment Services program and be able to touch the lives of more youth in need,” says TNDI’s Residential Supervisor, Asia VanHorn. “The new group home provides youth a chance to engage in recreation, access the community, and learn the skills needed to lead successful, prosocial lives.”
While this group home is a huge achievement for our Treatment Services program and The Next Door as a whole, our work has only begun. We continue to seek the support and resources of our community to recruit therapeutic foster homes for the youth we serve. Many of our youth have trauma backgrounds and a safe, caring, and nurturing home is often in their best interest.
Foster parents are provided extensive initial training as well as ongoing trauma-informed training and 24-hour support and guidance. Once training is complete and a youth is placed in their home, foster parents receive a $500 bonus and a monthly (tax-free) reimbursement of around $2100 for each full-time youth thereafter. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a certified foster parent, please contact Amy Lindley at 541-308-2207 or amyl@nextdoorinc.org. By opening your home and heart to a youth in need, you can help them heal, grow, and develop into healthy and happy adults.
The Next Door, Inc. is a community-based social service organization with offices in The Dalles and Hood River. We serve 3,000 people annually in a seven-county region. We have over 35 programs, all working towards our mission of opening doors to new possibilities by strengthening children and families and improving communities.
