The Riverside Project Podcast

Seeing the Child Beneath the Crime (feat. Le'Otis Boswell Johnson, Sons of Sophistication)

“You don’t just wake up one day caught up in this. There’s usually a long line of needs not being met that result in a kid being in this situation.” When a young person

A Framework of Community Based Care (feat. Shaundricka Easley & Dr. Brock Boudreau, Texans Together)

When a family is in crisis, every moment matters. That's why Texans Together is helping build a more flexible, responsive support system that's deeply rooted in

How to Hold Joy and Grief at the Same Time as Foster Parents (feat. Grant and Michaele Leathers)

One of the first lessons you learn as a foster parent is that you can never assume how a placement will end. Most parents enter each placement knowing that reunification

The Powerful Intersection of Faith and Neuroscience (feat. Ashley McFarland)

What does it look like to integrate mental health and faith? My guest today brings her knowledge, experience, and passion to answer this question. Ashley McFarland is a

Behind the Bench: Child Welfare Through the Eyes of a Judge (feat. Judge Charles Griffin, Gulf Coast Children’s Court)

Going to court can be intimidating for everyone involved in the child welfare system: from foster parents to biological families, and of course, for children. Because of

Understanding and Preventing Child Maltreatment (feat. Dr. Melissa Merrick, Prevent Child Abuse America)

1 in 7 children experience abuse or neglect in the United States, according to the CDC. However, the actual number is estimated to be higher due to many cases going unrep

How TBRI® Transforms Lives Through Safety and Connection (feat. Darius Payne)

What if the key to improving a child’s behavior isn’t found in stricter rules, but in stronger relationships? And what should care and treatment look like for children wh

The Founder’s Story (feat. Amber Knowles, The Riverside Project)

From the beginning of their relationship, adoption was always a part of our founder, Amber, and her husband’s plan; they even had an adoption fund in their wedding regist

Creating Spaces for Children in Foster Care with Disabilities (feat. Kayla Williams)

What kinds of foster care placements are you open to? This is a question that gets asked to all foster parents when they first open their home. Will you take sibling grou

Extending Care for Vulnerable Youth (feat. Alina White, DFPS)

When people think of foster care, it’s typically assumed that it ends at age 18 when a child ages out of care. However, that is not the case in most states. Nearly every

Moving From Scarcity to an Abundance Mindset (feat. Jason Weber, More Than Enough)

“When it comes to kids and families in our community, we don’t have to settle for not enough.” National estimates show that, in recent years, roughly 300,000–400,000 chi

Ensuring No Child Sleeps on the Floor (feat. Oli Mohammad, Houston Furniture Bank)

300,000. That is the estimated number of children in our city who sleep on the floor. That’s nearly 13% of Houston’s overall population. Having a soft place to lay your

Going the Extra Mile for Homeless Youth and Young Adults (ft. Quana Smith & Danielle Stephen, Coalition for the Homeless)

Neither foster care nor homelessness are isolated issues. They both intersect with numerous social issues—including each other. For example, homelessness is a contributi

Resourcing Families with Hope (feat. Lisa Johnson, Entrusted Houston)

It’s estimated that around 70% of all instances of kinship care are informal. This is significant because family members in these cases are caring for a child without off

Supporting Children & Families Beyond Permanency (ft. DeJuana Jernigan, Arms Wide Adoption Services)

“Their healing begins with your hope.” Our guest ended our time together on this phrase, but we wanted to start with it. This is at the heart of what individuals, church

The Ways Fostering Affects Biological Children (feat. Daniela Coats, With Siblings)

Biological children who grow up in a family that fosters or adopts can experience some intense and complicated emotions. While many children are supportive—and even prote

Uncovering the Sacred Mission in Any Vocation (feat. Doug Meikle, Star of Hope)

We often use the analogy of the River to describe how each and every one of us has a unique role to play in supporting the vulnerable children and families of Houston. On

Protecting the Vulnerable at All Ages (feat. Julie Dumalet, Archdiocese Office of Pro-Life Activities)

The term “pro-life” can be a politically charged topic. While the most common understanding of being pro-life is in regard to protecting life before birth, we had the opp

Mobilizing Community Resources in Houston (feat. Alysa Elliott-Wilson, DFPS)

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) may be most commonly associated with the act of “taking children away” from unsafe home environments. Unfortunatel

Reflections on Raising Children in Foster Care (feat. Christian & Morgan Nichols)

When you first become a foster parent, you are likely to get a lot of advice. Some of it is extremely helpful, while some may not apply to your specific situation. When y