About our Home
Mission Statement
The mission of Natchez Children's Home Services is to provide a safe, stable, healing environment for children from families in crisis. This is done by recruiting and training foster parents and overseeing placement of children in those settings, providing academic preparedness in our Academic Behaviors Counseling Services program or as we call it ABCs, hosting the ONLY Children's Advocacy Center for abused and neglected children in the Miss/Lou region, and providing therapeutic counseling services to children and families as needed.
From the Director
The Ministry of the Natchez Children's Home Services involves:
· Creating public awareness of abuse and neglect of children and adolescents
· Intervening in the lives of children and their families to prevent continuation of abuse
· Providing nurturing Christian homes for children in peril
· Demonstrating healthy family models
· Taking a proactive stand in Youth Court matters, legislation involving children and families, and community education
We accomplish this in the following ways:
Foster Family Program
Foster families undergo an extensive interview and screening process that allows them to have a child or children placed in their home. Foster families receive training, supervision, visits, counseling, and financial support from our social work staff. This allows foster families to incorporate a child into their home and existing family.
Online Foster Parent Application (Single)
Online Foster Parent Application (Couple)
Academic Behaviors Counseling Services or ABCs
Natchez Children's Home Services provides an intensive academic and behaviors program for eligible pre-schoolers from local families. In addition to academics to prepare the children for school, the children are taught behavior skills such as standing in line, taking turns, and other forms of appropriate interaction.
Family Counseling
Utilizing our Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Natchez Children's Home Services offers therapeutic counseling to the children and families in need of these services. Counseling is conducted both on our campus and in homes.
Children's Advocacy Center
Natchez Children's Home Services has parterned with local community affiliates like Natchez Police Department, Adam's County Sheriff's Office, Natchez District Attorney's office, CASA, Youth Court, and the local medical community in order to better serve child victims of rape or abuse. This is the only center in the Miss/Lou area and one of the few providing adequate care around the State of Mississippi.
History and Heritage
Natchez Children's Home Services is the oldest child-caring agencies in Mississippi, and among the oldest continuously operated facilities in the United States.
The year was 1816. It was a time of agrarian, economic and political crisis in the Mississippi Territory. Mississippi was not to be granted statehood until 1817. The War of 1812 and its associated Indian battles had ended the year before, leaving many widows and orphans. A yellow fever epidemic was soon to devastate the area.
Early that year a group of Natchez women, recognizing a great need among the less privileged children of the district, began soliciting funds for the establishment of a "Charity School." They had soon raised twelve hundred dollars and on March 12th, called a meeting at the home of Mrs. Samuel Davis for the purpose of organizing an association to sponsor the school.
They called it "The Female Charitable Society" and its members were all subscribers to the fund. That first year they chose for officers and board members the following ladies: Mesdames Minor, Kemp, Henderson, Douglas, Overton, Smith, Kercheral, Winn, Tichenor, and Forman. Thus the forerunner of Natchez Children's Home Services was born. It is an interesting fact that descendents of some of these founders frequently serve on the present day Board of Directors.
Today members of the board are chosen from the congregations of various churches in the area. The Natchez Children's Home Services derives its support largely from the gifts of those interested in its Christian ministry.
The need for a home for neglected, displaced, and at risk youngsters is as great today as it was in 1816. Although Indian wars and yellow fever are no longer factors in bringing about this need, economic conditions, poverty, family dysfunction and domestic violence still are. Added to these are increased alcoholism, drug abuse, pornography, and the myriad evils of our modern society.
One thing remains constant and unchanging. Those long ago founders were convinced that God's hand was in their work. This same conviction undergirds the efforts at the Natchez Children's Home Services today. The dedicated Christian staff and our foster parents seek God's guidance daily in working to heal the wounds, raise the sights, and uplift the spirits of today's confused, angry and hurting children.
The Natchez Children's Home Services takes seriously the biblical command to "visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27). The success of the program at the Natchez Children's Home Services and the futures of these boys and girls depend on the prayers, hard work, and generosity of many. Only as God continues to move people to support this ministry can it succeed in its vital work.
FAQ:
Why and when was the Home established?
The Home was founded in 1816 by a group of Christian women in Natchez who recognized a need to house and educate children orphaned by Indian wars and a widespread yellow fever epidemic. It was established as the "Female Charitable Society" and through almost 200 years and numerous name changes Natchez Children's Home Services today is one of the oldest continuously operated child-caring facilities for children in the United States. The majority of current referrals are not orphans but victims of families experiencing alcoholism and drug addiction, incarceration, divorce, poverty, and unemployment.
What services are provided?
Much of our efforts are focused on recruiting and training foster parents to make sure children in need go directly into a stable and loving environment that is more personal than a group home. We use our facility to provide child care to at risk families who have often have no where else to go. Every day we pick up, feed, teach, and address the needs of children in our area. We have on staff a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who provides support for the foster parents as well as individual and group counseling for the children in our ABCs program.
For more information on ABCs pre-school program contact:
Director of Development Justin Archer Burch
601-442-6858
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Are the children available for adoption?
The goal of Natchez Children's Home Services is identifying a permanent plan for children that includes family reunification as a first effort. When all attempts to reunite a family have been exhausted, a youth court judge may recommend termination of parental rights (TPR) and adoption may then be considered.
How long can children receive the services of Natchez Children's Home Services?
A permanent plan for placement generally requires from six months to two years to identify. Some placements require additional time.
How is NCHS funded?
Natchez Children's Home Services is primarily funded by donations from individuals, churches, businesses, foundations, bequests, special events, gifts in-kind, proceeds from our Thrift Shop and donated services and goods.
Besides monetary gifts, what else does the Home need?
Everything needed to operate a private residence is needed at Natchez Children's Home Services-just in larger quantities! In addition to the usual household items necessary for our Day Treatment program (cleaning supplies, bathroom supplies, classroom materials, etc.) we help the foster parents in many ways. School supplies, clothing, food items, personal supplies, linens -- and of course Christmas and birthday presents are all available to the foster parents.
Who is the contact person for offering help, services, or donations to the Home?
For general questions, contact Executive Director Nancy Hungerford at 601-442-6858
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or
Development Director Justin Archer Burch at 601-442-6858
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For information on Foster Parenting contact Social Worker Glenda Wilson at 601-442-6858
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Can anyone stop by and visit?
Guests are always welcome. Call for a time to let us show you around and tell you more about what we do and how we do it.