Providence House for Children, a program of Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries,  provides group homes foster care for children, shelter and case management for families reuniting with children in foster care and families in danger of separation because they are homeless or live in substandard housing, and an independent living program for youths  aging out of foster care.

Located at Georgetown in Floyd County, Ind., Providence House programs feature two state licensed group homes for girls and boys ages 6 to 21 and six furnished three bedroom apartments for families.

Child Protective Services and juvenile probation departments refer children to the group homes: one for girls and the other for boys. Each group home accommodates 10 children.

The Family Reunification and Preservation Program includes shelter, case management and counseling for families reuniting with children in foster care and families in danger of separation because they are homeless or live in hazardous dwellings. Most families are referred to the program by Child Protective Services; a few are “self referrals.”

The Independent Living Program helps youths find employment, housing, enroll in college or vocational education, open checking accounts, obtain transportation and, in general, become self sufficient.

All Providence House programs strive to provide the opportunities needed to develop skills and knowledge to build healthy and responsible lifestyles and, ultimately, break the cycle of abuse and neglect.

Sisters of Providence ministering with Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries established Providence House in the former convent of Holy Family Parish, New Albany, in August 1994. Construction of facilities on 12.48 acres at Georgetown began in 1999. Foster children moved to the new group homes in November 2000 and the first family moved into a Family Reunification and Preservation Program apartment in January 2001.

Providence House serves several southern Indiana counties including: Bartholomew, Clark, Crawford, Dubois, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Orange, Perry, Scott and Washington.

For more information about Providence House, contact Linda Rhodes, administrator, at 812-951-1816.