Refugee foster families

Each year, the Department of Homeland Security, border patrol, and law enforcement apprehend more than 100,000 immigrant youth who have no legal status. Most are deported to their home countries, but about ten percent of the youth remain, having arrived without parents or guardians. The Department of Homeland Security turns over the unaccompanied minors to the Department of Health and Human Services, which has taken custody of more than 11,000 youth so far this year. Some will go through the court system, though their chances of staying in the U.S. are slim. Very few win their case for legal status. But one teen beat the odds and ended up in the Bay Area where she attends high school today. She wouldn't have been able to do it without a little known federal foster care program that finds homes for unaccompanied teenagers who have the legal right to stay in the U.S. Adelaide Chen visited Aracely and her foster mom Liz at their home in San Francisco.

To contact Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, which is currently in need of foster care families, go to www.catholiccharitiesscc.org.