Murphy – An innovative new model serving children and families involved in the child welfare system has arrived in Cherokee County.
Community partners gathered on Feb. 24 to celebrate the opening of two new homes in Murphy that will serve children and sibling groups in foster care, with an ultimate goal of successfully and permanently reunifying them with their families.
The homes are part of the Bridging Families program operated by Crossnore Communities for Children, selected in 2025 by the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services as the state model for professional foster parenting. While working toward statewide expansion, Bridging Families has gained strong momentum in western North Carolina, with 72% of the state’s 18 Bridge homes located in westernmost counties.
“We believe families belong together, and we support the whole family system,” said Sarah Norris, chief executive officer of Crossnore. “Our house parents are full-time staff who work to help families along the path to reunification.”
Through short-term, family style placements that are close to a child’s family home, Bridging Families offers children stability, support and connection while giving parents a safe, welcoming place to visit and remain engaged in their children’s lives. In addition to full-time professional foster parents, Bridging Families provides intensive wraparound services, such as therapy and case management.
Bridging Families’ program outcomes are compelling. Around 74% of children have achieved successful permanence in an average of 7.5 months, compared to children in traditional foster care programs who spend much longer in the system before reunifying or being adopted.
“While our focus is reunification, not every single child is going to go home,” Norris said. “For those children, we focus on making sure there are still strong outcomes and a path to permanency through other programs, such as kinship, community adoption or our Bridging Futures program.”
Later this year, Crossnore plans to open a Bridging Futures home in Cherokee County for adolescents and young adults preparing to age out of foster care. Bridging Futures serves youth ages 17-21 whose permanency goal is a successful transition to independent adulthood with the support of professional foster parents, housing and wraparound care through Crossnore’s continuum of services.
The new homes in Cherokee County mark a significant expansion of the Bridging Families model in western North Carolina.
“With a focus over the last decade to grow and expand, Crossnore is ready now to strengthen our work – especially within communities,” she said.
“We’re excited to be able to build upon and deepen our services.”