Today’s episode is with our friend Julie Kirby. Learn more about Plain Values at https://plainvalues.com.

Julie is the founder of Hope’s House Foster Closet and a woman who has spent nearly two decades on the front lines of foster care. Julie and her husband fostered for over 18 years and opened their home to more than 100 children through emergency placements, respite care, and long-term fostering. 

Along the way, they adopted a sibling group of five, each carrying their own complex story shaped by trauma, instability, and loss.

In this raw and moving conversation, Julie explains the reality few see. Children often arrive with only the clothes on their backs. Foster parents must immediately scramble to buy wardrobes, schedule medical exams, enroll kids in new schools, and manage nonstop agency calls… all while helping frightened children adjust to yet another unfamiliar home. And the financial support? Often less than a dollar an hour.

Hope’s House was born from this gap.

After stepping away from active fostering, Julie knew she couldn’t step away from the children. She transformed an empty house in Kidron’s historic village into a fully stocked support center for foster families. In just three years, Hope’s House now provides 90–100% of what foster families need in those first overwhelming days: beds, car seats, clothes, school supplies, diapers, hygiene items, toys, and emotional comfort.

Welcome to the Plain Values Podcast, please meet our friend Julie Kirby ...

This conversation encapsulates what we hope to do here with the Plain Values Podcast, telling stories that matter and bringing us closer to the table.

If this conversation filled your coffee cup, we would humbly invite you to leave a thoughtful comment below and please, don’t be shy … the Like and Subscribe buttons help more friends find this episode. 

We’re always looking for more friends.

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