Churches in South Mississippi now helping CPS families fill specific needs
A new app connects caseworkers with local congregations to provide items like beds and car seats to children in the foster system.
By Ibrahim Howard ·
Lifeline Children’s Services and the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services launched a mobile tool called CarePortal in South Mississippi on Monday. The platform allows child welfare caseworkers to post specific material needs for families in the system. Local churches and community groups then receive these requests and provide the items.
The expansion took place at First Baptist Church in Long Beach. Caseworkers can upload details for needs such as car seats, beds, clothing, or hygiene products. These requests go directly to participating organizations. This replaces a slower, manual process for coordinating aid.
Trent Allen, the church outreach programs director for Lifeline Mississippi, explained how the app works. He stated that CPS identifies a family with a concrete need. A caseworker then writes a brief story about the need in the app. That information routes to network churches and their responders. Allen noted that Lifeline is a Christian adoption and family ministry active in 19 states. The organization partners with CarePortal in Mississippi and Alabama.
CarePortal first went live in Mississippi in April 2024. It started in Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties. Over the last two years, the program has helped more than 650 children in the Jackson metropolitan area. Forty-one churches participated in that initial phase. Organizers plan to recruit churches in Harrison County and along the Gulf Coast next. They also intend to expand into Tupelo, the Golden Triangle, and the Mississippi Delta later.
Jen Dexter-Edsall, president of the Beauty with Heart Foundation, attended the launch event. She identified as a former foster youth. She said the program allows her foundation to help with specific requests. Pastor LaRue Stevens of First Baptist Long Beach described the platform as a practical bridge into the community. He said the tool helps connect with families that might not otherwise ask for help.
Andrea Sanders, the CPS Commissioner, attended the event in Long Beach. She did not give an interview about the rollout. The launch marks the first time the specific South Mississippi region is covered by the app. The tool aims to make aid faster and more targeted for children in the child welfare system.
Source: WLOX
