Empower Unaccompanied Children with the Diakon Pasos Long-Term Foster Care Program!

Join us at Diakon Adoption & Foster Care in our groundbreaking partnership with Global Refuge to provide vital support to unaccompanied children. For four decades, Global Refuge has been a beacon of hope for vulnerable children, and now, Diakon is proud to be the first agency in Pennsylvania offering long-term foster care services.

Our team was thrilled to introduce the Pasos Program, which means "steps" in Spanish. Together, we're guiding these young souls toward a brighter, safer future. In a time of uncertainty, our mission is clear: surround them with unwavering support, allowing them to heal and be kids again.

 

Creating Safety, Trust, and Hope for Unaccompanied Youth

For these PASOS foster parents, the decision to welcome unaccompanied youth into their homes began with a simple desire: “to help and support them” and to give children who have spent too long in shelters “a home where they can be safe and loved.” While each  family entered the experience with understandable concerns, ranging from cultural differences to uncertainty about behaviors, they found confidence in knowing they were supported by staff who listened and helped match youth thoughtfully to their home.

What stayed with them most were the small but powerful moments of connection. One foster parent reflected on how meaningful it was to watch a youth experience ordinary family routines for the first time, sharing, “She is now able to experience what sitting at a table for dinner is; she didn’t have that before.” Another described seeing a guarded child gradually open up. These everyday milestones became reminders of how deeply a caring home can shape a child’s sense of belonging.

Their message to others is both honest and heartfelt: fostering is not easy, and it asks for patience, flexibility, and real commitment. “Those children need 100% of your time,” one parent shared, emphasizing the importance of being ready for the responsibility. Yet both agree that when families are prepared to make that commitment, the reward is profound—the chance to create safety, trust, and lasting impact in the life of a child who needs it most.

Be The Light In A Child’s Life

Unite with us and Global Refuge in our shared commitment to protect and uplift those seeking refuge and a new beginning in the United States. The number of unaccompanied immigrant children arriving in the United States is growing, fleeing violence, threats and unimaginable hardships. Diakon is uniquely positioned to offer holistic, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive specialized foster care, based on a legacy of exceptional service.

Unaccompanied children face an uphill battle, arriving with limited support and navigating language, cultural, educational, legal and health barriers.

Pasos Program Collage 1

Pasos Program Collage 1

Change A Life Forever. 

We're here to bridge the gap, placing them in loving, licensed homes equipped to meet their unique needs. Through Diakon, they receive the critical support they need as they pursue legal immigration relief and seek stability in the United States.

You can make a difference.

Become a resource family. Contact us or contribute to this vital program. Thank you.

Ready To Take The Next Step?

DOWNLOAD FLYER  DESCARGAR FOLLETO EN ESPAÑOL  PASOS PARA ACOGER

For more information, attend one of our information sessions, held every third Thursday at 6 p.m. Since our program requires weekly office visits, we typically only work with those within a one-hour drive of York County.

Call (717) 845-9113 to speak with a Diakon staff member.

Radio Interviews

WLCH Radio Centro interview with Pasos staff member Grace Barton

CLIP 1 - CLICK TO PLAY

CLIP 2 - CLICK TO PLAY

CLIP 3 - CLICK TO PLAY

Transcrips

If you would like to read the interview, below are the transcripts.

Clip 1

Spanish 

Interviewer: En esta emisión del programa vamos a hablar de un tema profundamente humano y urgente: los niños migrantes que llegan solos a Estados Unidos buscando seguridad, esperanza y también un futuro mejor.

En nuestra área, el programa Pasos de Diakon es el principal apoyo para estos jóvenes, brindándoles algo que todos necesitamos: un hogar, cuidado y acompañamiento.

A través del cuidado de crianza a largo plazo, este programa busca personas o familias dispuestas a abrir sus puertas y su corazón para cambiar una vida.

English  

In this edition of the program, we are going to talk about a deeply human and urgent topic: migrant children who arrive alone to the United States seeking safety, hope, and also a better future.

In our area, the Pasos program of Diakon is the primary support for these youth, providing them with something we all need: a home, care, and accompaniment (someone walking alongside them every step of the way).

Through long-term foster care, this program seeks individuals or families willing to open their doors and their hearts to change a life.

Clip 2

Spanish 

Interviewer: Hay algo que muchas personas no conocen, o quizás no tienen en cuenta, y es que estos niños llegan solos a Estados Unidos, y en muchas veces después de viajes que son sumamente difíciles. ¿Podrías compartirnos qué tipo de historias, qué situaciones suelen enfrentar y cómo logran mantener esa resiliencia que ustedes mencionan?

Grace: Sí, los niños a los que apoyamos son menores de 18 años que han llegado a los Estados Unidos solos, y la mayoría vienen de Centroamérica. A pesar de sus experiencias traumáticas, porque el viaje es muy traumático, y también porque están saliendo de situaciones muy peligrosas y de pobreza, ellos muestran una resiliencia que es increíble y tienen un deseo de construir un futuro que es más seguro y más brillante.

English 

Interviewer: There is something many people do not know, or perhaps do not take into account, and that is that these children arrive alone to the United States, often after journeys that are extremely difficult. Could you share with us what kinds of stories and situations they usually face, and how they manage to maintain that resilience you mention?

Grace: Yes, the children we support are under 18 years old who have arrived alone to the United States, and most come from Central America. Despite their traumatic experiences, because the journey is very traumatic, and also because they are leaving very dangerous situations and poverty, they show a resilience that is incredible, and they have a desire to build a future that is safer and brighter.

Clip 3

Spanish:

Interviewer: Porque es tan importante el cuidado de crianza a largo plazo en lugar de los albergues temporales que todos conocemos, y si podrías hablarme de qué diferencia puede marcar esto en la vida de un niño, particularmente de estos niños de que hablamos?

Grace: Sí, pues cuando llegan a los Estados muchos de estos niños, pues la mayoría, están son enviados a albergues temporales, pero el Cuidado de crianza a largo plazo este ofrece una alternativa que es un hogar que es estable, y un adulto que los cuide en la comunidad.

English

Interviewer: Why is long-term foster care so important instead of the temporary shelters that we all know, and could you speak to what difference this can make in the life of a child, particularly these children we are talking about?

Grace: Yes, well, when they arrive in the United States many of these children, well the majority, are sent to temporary shelters, but long-term foster care offers an alternative, which is a home that is stable, and an adult who cares for them in the community.

In partnership with:

Wendy's Wonderful Kids

Contact Us

Need Interpretation? - Click here for more info.