Christian Bale recently broke ground on a new foster care concept that’s dedicated to keeping siblings together.
The Batman actor began work on a foster care village this month with the organization Together California, which he co-founded. The village will consist of 12 homes for foster children, two studio flats that will help older kids transition into independent living, and a 7,000 sqft community center for the children and guardians to enjoy.
Christian’s passion project will ensure that siblings will remain in the same village. But, ideally, they’ll live in the same home. He believes this will remove a layer of trauma that children suffer when they’re placed into the system.
“Imagine the absolute pain and the trauma of losing your parents or being torn from your parents, and then losing your brothers and sisters on top of that. That’s no way to treat kids,” the actor said, per The Guardian. “And so, we will be the hub for that. I hope that this village will be the first of many. And I hope that people, Californians and Angelenos, know to come join us in opening our eyes to what’s happening right under our noses. These are our children, and we must help our children.”
Christian Bale Credits His Father and Daughter For His Unique Foster Care Concept
Christian Bale said his late father, David, inspired the concept. David was a devout activist, and he made it a point to include a young Christian.
“As a kid, I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he recalled. “But I loved it. And I just admired the hell out of my dad in that way that he went out of his way to care for other people. We were always having other people coming and living in our house who didn’t have homes, etc. That’s just the guy that he was.”
While it was his father who gave Christian the drive to help, it was his daughter, Emmeline, who gave him direction. He explained that her birth in 2005 opened his eyes to the vulnerability of children.
“I found myself trying to imagine what it would be like if we weren’t around,” he admitted. “At the same time, I was doing all-night searches for what was going on in LA proper and where we could help.
“I was stunned and mad to learn that we have more foster kids here than anywhere else in the country. I was also kicking myself for not knowing that before so I thought, ‘Well, this is it. Let’s focus on this.’ My wife and I decided that we were going to do everything we could in our power to change that.”
Christian Bale officially broke ground about 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Palmdale, California, in early February. And construction is in full swing. He expects to complete the $22 million project in 2025.
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