Specialized Foster Care for Teens With Complex Needs From CHOR
CHOR Youth & Family Services runs a Specialized Foster Care program that provides specialized resource families and In-Home Interventionist services for clients with maladaptive sexual behaviors and/or co-occurring mental health disorders. The program is Sanctuary trauma trained.
It is listed for males ages 12 to 18, and females and those younger than 12 will be considered.
Specialized Foster Care is one of CHOR's foster care programs, alongside its general foster care and kinship care programs. Foster care provides temporary care for children who cannot remain safely in their own homes, and most children enter foster care due to abuse or neglect. CHOR's foster families provide care in Berks County and surrounding areas. The page gives two different age ranges for the general foster care program, describing it in one place as serving children from birth to age 21 and in another as male and female, ages 13 to 20, so ask CHOR which applies to a particular child.
Children come into these homes through referrals from county agencies. When a county agency refers a child for possible placement, CHOR contacts its approved resource families and shares all available information about the child, and families are asked to decide, sometimes within a short timeframe, whether they can care for that child. Emergency referrals happen when a child or sibling group needs immediate placement, and in those cases CHOR may have very limited information, sometimes only the child's name and age. The page does not describe a way for a parent or family member to enroll a child in Specialized Foster Care directly, and it does not list specific eligibility rules, costs or hours for this program.
Foster families in CHOR's programs work closely with a dedicated Case Manager and have access to 24-hour emergency on-call support, along with clinicians and a consulting psychiatrist. All children and youth in foster care are covered by medical assistance (Medicaid), which provides health, dental, vision and behavioral health services.
If you are interested in becoming a foster or resource parent, CHOR's general foster care content sets out the requirements: be at least 21 years old and in good physical and emotional health, verified by a medical exam; have a stable, reliable income that covers your household expenses before a child comes into your home; complete a Child Abuse Clearance, a Pennsylvania Criminal Background Check and FBI Fingerprinting for every household member age 18 and older; provide three non-relative references; and complete pre-service foster parent training. The page does not say whether the Specialized Foster Care program adds requirements of its own.
The first step listed is to contact a Foster Care Specialist, who will guide you through the application and certification process, answer questions and provide training and support. The "Begin Your Journey" link on the program page writes to jhorrocks@choreading.org and chorsfc@choreading.org. CHOR also offers free, no-obligation information sessions about the foster care program, and lists 610-655-5555 (ask for Jen) for questions or to register for a session. The info session dates printed on the page are in August with no year given, so call to ask when the next session is held.
CHOR's main site lists a referral hotline at 1 (888) 608-0789.
Source: choryfs.org/foster-care, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In CHOR Youth & Family Services’s words
SPECIALIZED FOSTER CARE (Male, Ages 12-18, Females and those younger than 12 will be considered) Provision of specialized resource families and In-Home Interventionist services for clients with maladaptive sexual behaviors and/or co-occurring mental health disorders. Sanctuary trauma trained.
Organization
CHOR Youth & Family Services
Organization profile in our directory →About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from choryfs.org/foster-care. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.