Oakland County Foster Closet and Their Impact on Helping Families in Need
(Lilly Crossley, Sept. 4, 2024)
Farmington Hills, MI – 11 years ago, Michele Austin began running a small foster closet in her own home, which has substantially grown into a 4,000 square foot space that is now known as the Oakland County Foster Closet.
This closet is a 501c(3) non-profit run 100% by volunteers and donations, and it provides necessary items to low income families with foster children in southeast Michigan.
Michele, founder and president of the closet, has been a foster mom for ten years. Her first kid, Tim, had “almost nothing” when he came to live with her, Michele states.
She found the Foster Closet of Michigan, but she thought that opening her own branch in Oakland County was critical for moms because she knew what it was like not being able to replace all of her children’s clothing as they grew.
“I want to be a resource for people who need help,” Michele explains, since she knows first-hand how hard it can be for people to find the support they need.
The closet has many rooms and amenities, each applying to a specific need that one may have. It has a sorting room for donations and a hygiene room that contains bagged socks, underwear and hygiene products that are labeled for specific kids, such as one for a 10-18 year old girl.
There’s also a huge room with clothes and shoes for kids from 2T all the way to teens, and even a toy room sponsored by Toys for Tots because “kids need toys,” Michele says.
The closet also provides linen (sheets, throws, blankets), pillows, school supplies, books, and baby products.
There are also some things that the closet does that one may not realize is a necessity. For example, their vice president is car seat certified, meaning she can help provide families with car seats.
They have a “Birthday in a Bag” program, which includes items for a party of eight, such as cake mix, frosting, and decorations because “we all have birthdays but we all don’t have the opportunity to celebrate them,” Michele explains.
There’s also a new program called “Hair Care For People Like Me,” which provides products and education for those with curly and textured hair.
When new clients come in, they first register at the front desk. In order to register, foster or adoptive parents need their placement paperwork and current ID. Clients that are low income families need their current ID, a bridge card that is shown as active, and birth certificates for the kids.
Children’s Protective Services also comes through to help verify clients.
After clients are done shopping, they check out with red bags donated by Northridge Church, which are overnight bags with pillows, blankets, and pajamas inside.
Lots of clients and their children send thank you letters to the closet, which can be seen hanging up on the community board.
Currently, the closet is focused on becoming the Oakland County Nonprofit Center, which would house not only them, but more adult clothes, a furniture bank, a food bank, and Lakeshore Legal Aid. The goal is to make it a “one stop shop for families,” Michele describes.
Along with getting that bigger center and finding a “forever home,” Michele hopes to collect more hair care products for all hair types. She would also love to get partners for other things, such as hygiene products, and she is working with Farmington Public Schools to get more back to school items.
Michele recommends fostering because there is “a massive need” for foster parents, but she highly encourages people to “do your research” before fostering. All kids deserve a home, but it is important to be aware of that child’s needs, as well as their trauma, and whether or not you would be able to take care of them because “the last thing a kid needs is another failed placement.”
Even if you aren’t fostering, there are plenty of ways to help the closet, such as following them on Facebook, signing up for their newsletter, and donating items on Mondays from 10-2pm.
From volunteers to connections with other centers, such as homeless shelters, “it takes a village to do what we do,” Michele explains. The closet wouldn’t be as successful as it is today without the support of so many people. What started as a small closet at home has now turned into a thriving place for families in need to get the support they’ve been looking for.
The closet has already accomplished so many things, and with its future goals in the making, it will only continue to succeed.
The Oakland County Foster Closet is located at 24400 Sinacola Suite B in Farmington Hills. Visit their website here: https://www.ocfostercloset.org/
You can also reach them by phone, which is the best way to get in touch: 248-419-4487
