Our team has helped 115 churches and 4800+ people to end the foster care crisis. We were created by a group of foster/adopt industry veterans including our Founder and Executive Director, church leaders, foster/adopt families and child placing agency professionals in 2012 under the name San Antonio Alliance for Orphans. In September of 2016, First Presbyterian granted the Alliance seed money to launch as a DBA non-profit. The Alliance received their 501c3 designation in July of 2018. The Alliance serves and equips a collaborative church movement to solve the foster crisis from family crisis to youth aging out. From that first meeting of foster parents till now our mission has remained the same, build a community with more than enough for every child and family impacted by the foster care system. In a city of 2.5 million people and 1,200 Christian churches, there is no reason each one of the over 3,000 children in foster care should languish to find a family willing to say yes for a season or a lifetime.
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.
