The CHERISH Project

Because of the identified crisis in the emergency foster care system, in 2001 the ACTION Council formed a collaborative partnership with the Monterey County Social Services Commission and the Department of Social Services to develop a new comprehensive system of care for children who have been placed into protective custody.

The recommendations included adoption of a community-based system of foster care called Family to Family, now active in five communities in the county. A receiving center, Cherish House, offers children who have been removed from their families a safe, friendly place to go while awaiting placement. Children’s Circle of Friends offers potential foster parents the opportunity to secure affordable housing in return for a commitment to provide care for a minimum of three years.