The mission of Hope for the Future (H4TF) is to provide a natural, safe, home-like environment for children to visit with their parents until a resolution has been made regarding their permanency. HFTF provides services to children (infants – 18 years of age), who have been removed from their home due to abuse and neglect and are under the care of Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), to remain connected with their family. In 2019, Oklahoma had 15,809 confirmed child abuse cases. These children are placed in foster care when a child protective services worker and court have determined it is not safe for them to remain home. Children in foster care have usually been traumatized prior to being separated from their parents and siblings. As visitation is the single most predictive factor in whether a child is successfully reunited, the frequency of parent-child visitation is critical. Most visits take place at the DHS offices, fast food restaurants, the library or a park.

These spaces are often cramped, distracting, weather-dependent, or otherwise challenging for parents to spend important time with their children. Hope for the Future (HFTF) provides the ideal home-like setting – one that stimulates family interaction and ensures the child’s safety and the family’s confidentiality. It provides an environment for parents to have planned, structured, and age-appropriate activities with their child(ren) that help in strengthening the parent-child relationship and allow the parents an opportunity to learn about their child(ren)’s development.