Safe Families: Preventing Foster Care Through Community Support

Behind the Curtain: Honest Conversations about Foster Care and Adoption

Tammy Pulsifer, Director of Community Engagement at Safe Families for Children in Tallahassee, shares how their organization prevents children from entering foster care by supporting families in crisis through community intervention and radical hospitality.
• Born to missionary parents and raised internationally in Guam, Saipan, Korea, Hawaii, and England before settling in Tallahassee
• Found purpose through local philanthropy work before joining Safe Families in 2021
• Safe Families creates "circles of support" around families experiencing temporary crises like housing instability, job loss, and mental health challenges
• The organization focuses on strengthening the entire family unit rather than separating children from parents
• Volunteers provide practical support including respite care, mentoring, and resource connection
• Personal suffering creates deeper compassion and empathy when supporting vulnerable families
• Churches can better support foster families through practical help like childcare, house cleaning, and emotional support
• One success story involves helping a single mother of seven transition from crisis to becoming a teacher and approaching homeownership

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1. Introduction to Tammy Pulsifer (00:00:00)

2. Growing Up as a Missionary Kid (00:03:10)

3. Finding Purpose Through Nonprofit Work (00:09:00)

4. The Mission of Safe Families (00:14:00)

5. Suffering Creates Compassion (00:22:46)

6. Supporting Foster Families in Church (00:28:56)