Focus on Fostering: Treehouse Foundation

Well, today is the next- last of the written ahead entries... God willing I will get home from Alabama around midnight tonight [Tuesday]. Thanks for checking in even while I was away.  Hopefully I may have some new and exciting things to share about fostering after my time at the National Foster Parent Association's conference! If I have gotten a chance to write an entry while I am down there you will see a Soapbox as usual tomorrow.  If not, I will repost one of the popular Soapbox posts of the past so that I can sleep in [maybe?].

Creative approaches to foster parenting communities:

I read an article in one of the first issues of Rosie O'Donnell's magazine years ago about an experimental Intergenerational community designed to support and include foster families.  It was on a decommissioned military base in out west somewhere, but I remember few details.  In looking for current information about it I found the Treehouse community in Massachusetts.

Treehouse Foundation is only about nine or ten years old and opened the Treehouse Community only five years ago. Treehouse intends to be a unique intergenerational community that invites active seniors [55 years or more] to join their community and help improve the lives of children in the public foster care system.  They offer living spaces from one bedroom to five bedroom.  Income guidelines are considered and preference for younger families goes to those who are interested in providing permanency for foster children through adoption, kinship care, etc.
I have not been there yet myself, but am hoping to maybe make a trip there this fall to see what it is like.  I admit I am intrigued by some of their ideas.   [http://www.treehousecommunities.org/]


Check it out... reactions anyone???  Has anybody been there?
Here is the founder discussing the beginnings of Treehouse:

Check out their latest newsletter celebrating their fifth anniversary, or earlier ones.