‘We need families’: Tennessee nonprofit needs help supporting unaccompanied minors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Thousands of unaccompanied minors cross the border every year, and some of them end up in Tennessee.

One nonprofit has asked for help housing those children until they’re reunited with their families. Bethany Christian Services told News 2 that they need double the number of families fostering these kids.

Many of these unaccompanied minors travel through deserts, waterways and other countries for weeks or months to find safety.

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“The journey can be very traumatic,” said Debbie Fleshner, Bethany Christian Services site supervisor for Smyrna. “There is always a risk of gang violence and trafficking.”

In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection saw nearly 140,000 unaccompanied minors, some of whom have parents already settled in the States. Bethany Christian Services said that they sometimes take in kids from South America, including countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Save The Children reported that these countries have some of the highest child homicide rates in the world.

“They don’t really come into your home and tell you everything they just came from, but we can only imagine the things they have had to see and the things they have had to go through,” foster parent Jessica Euverard said.

When unaccompanied minors reach the border, they are processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and sent to agencies like Bethany Christian Services, which temporarily houses them until they can be reunited with family.

Twenty-four unaccompanied minors who made it to the border have been housed with foster families in Nashville. Twelve of those kids live in Smyrna.

“We need families who are interested in caring for kiddos who suffered a lot of trauma and who are just waiting for some security and some love,” Fleshner said.

However, the program said that the number of kids needing temporary foster homes has risen.

“We need to double that number of beds available to be sure that we don’t have to turn anyone away,” Fleshner said.

Families like Euverard’s and DaNielle’s said that knowing these kids feel safe and loved as they wait for their families that keeps them housing more minors.

“I see it as they are just so thankful to be safe and like knowing that they are probably going to see their families soon,” Euverard explained.

“I know if it were my children and they had to be put in this situation, I would definitely somebody or some type of trustworthy agency to take care of my child until I’d be able to reconnect with them,” foster parent DaNielle said.

They told News 2 that the best part is seeing the families reunite.

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“They told me over and over again, ‘Thank you for taking care of my son,'” foster parent Kathryn Mast said.

Current foster families said applicants don’t need to know Spanish to be foster parents. The kids need to feel loved.

“We don’t have some sort of special superpowers or anything like that,” Mast explained. “You just have to be flexible, willing to learn, and want to help some kids,”

“You have the option of saying, ‘I want one kid. I want two kids. I want this age group,'” DaNielle said. “My thing is just to try it.”

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