Recruiting Emergency Foster Homes With Shelter Youth & Family Services In a Partnership with Let It Be Us
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- July 21, 2025
Recruiting Emergency Foster Homes With Shelter Youth & Family Services In a Partnership with Let It Be Us
Let It Be Us works in a partnership with Shelter Youth & Family Services, recruiting homes for Emergency Foster Care. Shelter Youth & Family Services is one of the most comprehensive, community-based child welfare agencies in Illinois offering services to children and teens experiencing trauma. They recruit individuals and families, from multiple populations, for Emergency Foster Care in a partnership with Let It Be Us. Shelter Youth & Family Services recruits families in Chicago and the Northern Region. Shelter Youth & Family Services stands out in the following important and meaningful ways:
- Successful Recruitment of Homes for Emergency Foster Care as well as Traditional Foster Care
Shelter Youth & Family Services has entered their 3rd year of contracting with Let It Be Us to manage the majority of their foster home recruitment. The stability of continual referrals from Let It Be Us has allowed Shelter Youth & Family Services to successfully implement and stabilize their Emergency Foster Care Program as well as their Traditional Foster Care needs for recruiting homes. Families and individuals in multiple stages of decision making regarding foster care benefit from the education and customer service that Let It Be Us provides to enable them to confidently continue their journey toward helping our most vulnerable children.
- Comprehensive Continuum of Care
Shelter Youth & Family Services offers emergency and longer-term housing for youth ages 11–17, including shelters and transitional living, alongside traditional foster care, adoption, and relative placements. Their work provides eviction prevention and long-term housing services to entire families – supporting broader family stability.
- 24/7 Emergency and Crisis Support
Shelter Youth & Family Services operates around the clock – 365 days a year – to respond immediately to children and youth in crisis. They offer a dedicated Emergency Foster Care program that stabilizes children for 30-60 days until a permanent solution is found.
- Holistic, Trauma-Informed Case Management
Shelter Youth & Family Services integrates housing support with wrap-around case management, including referrals for mental health, employment, education, and public benefits. They are accredited by the Council on Accreditation and Healthy Families America, showing an organizational commitment to best practices.
- Diverse, Inclusive, Community-Based Services
Shelter Youth & Family Services serves children in foster care, first-time parents (via Healthy Families), youth in crisis, and families facing housing loss, bridging child welfare and homelessness prevention. Their support is functioning under DCFS licensure and funded by townships, United Way, local grants, and state resources, demonstrating deep community integration .
Shelter Youth & Family Service’s long-term track record With Let It Be Us Foster Home Recruitment has provided the stability of continual referrals from Let It Be Us and has allowed Shelter Youth & Family Services to successfully implement and stabilize their Emergency Foster Care Program as well as their Traditional Foster Care needs for recruiting homes.
In summary, Shelter Youth & Family Services unique strength lies in its multi-faceted approach: they not only care for youth in crisis living in emergency or foster settings, but also support entire families in maintaining safe, stable housing. Their round-the-clock services, accredited trauma-informed practices, and comprehensive case management set them apart as a leader in both child welfare and community stability across the Arlington Heights region.
About Let It Be Us
Let It Be Us is an Illinois 501(c)3 and licensed child welfare agency. The mission of Let It Be Us is to provide collaborative, innovative solutions of effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. The Let It Be Us platform manages the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois, engines of success for Illinois foster care adoptions. The Let It Be Us vision is for all children in the Illinois child welfare system to achieve educational equity, employment equity, and overall well being through the incorporation of Let It Be Us Programming into statewide advancements in foster care and adoption recruitment and placement. For more information about Let It Be Us, visit www.letitbeus.org.
