The South Texas Alliance for Orphans is a Christian nonprofit helping children and families impacted by the foster-care system in San Antonio and South Texas. The Alliance supports foster families, adoptive families, kinship caregivers, youth aging out of foster care and caseworkers, while helping churches, businesses and individuals find meaningful ways to serve. Programs include caregiver support groups, guidance for prospective foster parents, foster-care-approved babysitter resources, trauma-informed training, mentoring and community support.
Jocelyn Wilson
Jocelyn Wilson is the Director of Church Engagement for the South Texas Alliance for Orphans, an organization dedicated to raising awareness within churches about the foster care crisis in our community. With over 130 partner churches, the Alliance provides each church with a dedicated Church Engagement Specialist who offers guidance and support. While raising new foster families within churches is a key focus, there are many other ways individuals can serve, providing essential support for both families and children impacted by foster care.
In Bexar County, nearly 50% of children entering foster care are placed outside the county due to a shortage of foster families. The Alliance works to equip families in their network of churches to be prepared and ready to foster a child, guiding them through the licensing process with local agencies.
The Alliance also launched the “Caring for Caseworkers” program, which supports caseworkers—key players in ensuring the safety and well-being of children. Churches can participate by offering monthly encouragement and support to caseworker units, helping maintain continuity in cases, which increases the likelihood of children finding permanent homes.
In January 2024, the Alliance introduced the “Alliance Prevention Network,” which has already impacted over 150 families identified by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) as needing assistance. By providing essential items like household goods, beds, clothing, and food, along with personal relationships, the program helps prevent children from entering the foster care system and offers a supportive community to families in crisis.
