Christian Bale brings star-power support to foster youth housing development project in Palmdale
PALMDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A one-of-kind foster care housing development has major star-power support as the project nears reality in the Antelope Valley.
Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale is founder of the SOS Children's Villages California project -- and he's set his sights on Palmdale for California's first ever development.
The project, located near 30th Street East and McAdam Park, will provide individual homes for Palmdale foster children.
The site will include care and support from a full-time, professionally trained foster parent.
Also on-site within the village, case managers and support staff will be available to help children within the development's community center.
The city of Palmdale has supported the project with $1.2 million in housing grant funding.
"I'm so grateful to the city of Palmdale for believing in us and understanding us, understanding the long term effects, the radical improvement this is going to have on children's lives for decades and decades to come," Bale said.
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she was approached about the project about 9 months ago.
"It's going to be a village where youth who are in foster care, brothers and sisters, can stay together under one roof, right now we don't have anything like that," Barger said.
The Los Angeles County area has the nation's highest population of children in the foster care system.
More than 30,000 kids are in the system at any time, with nearly 1,600 awaiting adoption. More than half of them are under the age of 9.
The Oscar-winner said he decided to put his efforts behind this project after learning of Los Angeles County's high foster care numbers -- and wanting a project where he could have a hands-on approach.
"This model is absolutely magnificent and something that has succeeded internationally but has been untried in California," Bale said.
The exact groundbreaking date has not been announced.
"This is what my job is all about, this is why I love what I do," Barger said.
