Voices of Youth: A safe haven for children entering foster care comes to Battle Creek

Editor’s Note: This story is part of our Voices of Youth Battle Creek program, which is supported by the BINDA Foundation. This series features stories created by Calhoun County youth in partnership with professional mentors, as well as features by adult writers examining issues of importance to local youth.

BATTLE CREEK, MI — Isaiah 117 House, set to open in March, is designed to provide a safe, welcoming environment for children entering foster care. The facility will operate 24 hours a day, offering support during the critical period between a child’s removal from their home and placement with a foster family.

The foster care process includes multiple steps, one of the most widely recognized being the removal decision, when Child Protective Services determines a child is no longer safe in their current environment. Following removal, children are often taken to a child welfare office to wait for placement.

However, this process frequently involves experiences that are far more difficult and traumatic than many realize. Depending on the circumstances, children may remain in an office for several hours—or even multiple days. Some spend the night on the floor with few personal belongings, limited information, and little sense of comfort or stability.

Isaiah 117 House exists to change that experience.

As part of a national nonprofit organization, the Battle Creek location will offer children a temporary home during a time of fear and uncertainty. The house will provide nutritious meals, clean clothing, toys, showers, and a warm bed — along with toiletries chosen by the children themselves. These small but meaningful details are intended to restore dignity and create a sense of normalcy during an overwhelming transition.

Finding a home in Battle Creek

Isaiah 117 House was founded in Tennessee by married couple Ronda and Corey Paulson. The organization’s mission is now being brought to Michigan by Battle Creek Location Director Emily Olmstead and her colleague, Amy Asaro.

Olmstead has been involved in foster care for 13 years and recalls her early impressions of the system.

“Automatically, in the beginning, you know this system is messier than maybe it should be,” Olmstead says. “But how to change it also feels really complicated.”

About four years ago, Olmstead came across a Facebook post about an Isaiah 117 House location in southern Indiana.

“So I texted them just about immediately,” she says. That same night, she spoke with the director for more than an hour. For the first time, Olmstead felt she had discovered a tangible solution to a problem she once believed was too large to fix.

She shared the idea with Asaro, though neither knew how it would come to life in Battle Creek — or how deeply it would shape their lives and the community.

“I just knew I loved kids,” Olmstead says.

“Oh, we both do,” Asaro addd. “That makes two.”

What began as an idea soon turned into presentations and conversations across Calhoun County. When asked about the challenges of bringing Isaiah 117 House to Battle Creek, both women laughed.

“Oh, we’ve had many hard times,” Olmstead says.

She describes feeling overwhelmed at first by the scope of the project and the responsibility it carried. That fear, she says, ultimately became one of her greatest lessons.

Although both women had long worked with children, neither had formal degrees in the field. Instead, they describe themselves as individuals who saw a gap in their community and felt called to respond. That calling required them to step far outside their comfort zones, including speaking publicly for the first time.

“Oh, I kid you not, one of the hardest things to do,” Olmstead says. “My voice was shaky. I was all over the place.”

“I was like a high schooler with index cards in front of a mirror, practicing over and over again,” Asaro says. “And right before I spoke, I thought I was going to pass out.”

What gave them courage, they say, was a strong faith that they were meant to do this work.

“God is inviting everyone into the things He has called us to do,” Olmstead says. “He is inviting everyone to the table.”

Since the project’s inception, community members have stepped forward to help in countless ways.

“I think about all the people who have been called in to help,” Olmstead says. “Just a few weeks ago, I picked up jars of beautifully canned fruits and vegetables.”

Building the house required a wide range of skills and hands-on labor.

“There have been about a hundred people who have used their hands to bring it to where it is,” Olmstead says, “from digging the original hole to pouring the cement.”

Even professionals who typically do not offer discounted work became involved. One tile installer initially agreed to help with a bathroom, but ended up completing tile work throughout the entire house.

“People realize this isn’t just about kids somewhere else,” Olmstead says. “These are kids right here in our community. It could be your neighbor, your child’s classmate, or your friend.”

Both Olmstead and Asaro say the mission of protecting children and preserving childhood has united people across backgrounds.

“This project has made grown men cry,” Asaro says. “I didn’t think anything could ever touch them.”

As Isaiah 117 House prepares for its opening in March, the team is focused on sustainability and impact.

“My biggest wish is for the house to always be available 24/7 and to be used at least 80 percent of the year,” Olmstead says. “If that happens, it means fewer children are facing this horrible situation alone.”

Asaro hopes children will carry a different story forward.

“Kids will be able to say that removal day wasn’t horrible,” she says. “That they experienced joy on an awful day.”

As the final details fall into place, Asaro reflects on the collective effort that made the project possible.

“Everyone keeps bringing exactly what they have and what God gave them, and it has been enough,” she says. “There isn’t a gift we won’t accept. If God gave it to you, He will make a way for you to serve with it.”

Community members of all abilities and talents, they say, are invited to be part of the change. Please reach out with inquiries to calhounmi@isaiah117house.com.

Olivia King is a senior at Lakeview High School, where she is part of the Log yearbook and has recently moved to staff manager. She loves traveling, hiking, and dreams of visiting many more countries in her future. She wants to continue writing for publications after high school while studying interior architecture and design.