Latest news with #TogetherCalifornia
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Yes, Christian Bale is building homes in California to keep foster siblings together
Claim: Actor Christian Bale is building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aims to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. Rating: In June 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that Batman actor Christian Bale was building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aimed to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. One popular Facebook claim read: "Christian Bale Is Building 12 Foster Homes That Aim to Keep Siblings in the Foster Care System Together and Under the Same Roof." The claim circulated on X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Bluesky (archived), where posts included an alleged $22 million price for the development. Snopes readers also searched our site for more information about the rumor. The heartwarming claim is true. Bale and Together California, a charity founded by the actor; his wife, Sibi; and University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Eric Esrailian, broke ground on the project in 2024. According to Together California, the village, located near Palmdale, will feature 12 homes and a community center. The project was estimated to cost $22 million at the time of the groundbreaking, according to international media. According to Together California's Facebook page (archived), construction remained ongoing in June 2025. In May 2025, CBS reported the village was hoping to welcome its first children "next year." CBS also reported that "trained foster parents" would take care of the children living in the village. According to AC Martin, the architects on the project, Together California's "Village for Brothers and Sisters" will feature 12 town house units for children in foster care, two studio units for young adults transitioning out of the foster-care system, a 7,000-square-foot community building and outdoor space. Bale first got involved with the U.S. foster-care system in 2008, according to CBS, after considering what would happen to his own daughter if she were left without her parents. DALTON, ANDREW. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on Foster Homes He's Fought for 16 Years to See Built." AP News, 7 Feb. 2024, Gardner, Chris. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children." The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024, "Our Village." Together California, Accessed 19 June 2025. Shoard, Catherine. "Christian Bale Unveils Plans to Build 12 Foster Homes in California." The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2024. The Guardian, Smith, Tracy, and Jennifer Earl. Christian Bale's on a Mission to Keep Foster Siblings Together. For Him, It's the Role of a Lifetime. - CBS News. 18 May 2025, Together California. "Together California Had the Incredible Opportunity to Sit down with CBS Sunday Morning and Speak about the Mission That Drives Us Every Day. ." Facebook, 7 June 2025, Together California: A Village for Brothers & Sisters. Accessed 19 June 2025. Williams, Martha. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 12 Foster Homes in California." Mail Online, 9 Feb. 2024,
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christian Bale Has Tapped Leonardo Dicaprio & Other A-Listers for This Suprisingly Sweet Project
Christian Bale isn't exactly known for soft edges. His career has been defined by physically grueling performances, method roles, and a reputation for being, at times, intense both on and off screen (anyone else thinking of his Huey Lewis scene in American Psycho?). But his latest project — a foster care campus in Palmdale, California — is showing fans a softer, empathetic side of the actor. Bale has spent the past 17 years helping develop Together California, a residential campus designed to keep foster siblings together. It's a direct response to a staggering statistic: 'Approximately 75%' of siblings who enter the foster care system are separated, Bale told CBS Sunday Morning. 'And so you can imagine the trauma of that, you know, being taken from your parents and then you lose your siblings, you know? That's just something that we shouldn't be doing.' More from SheKnows Christian Bale's Daughter Luka's First Post of 2025 Shows How Her Family Vacays in Style The campus won't look anything like a traditional group home. It's made up of small, individual houses clustered around a central garden, with each home staffed by trained foster parents. Their only job will be to care for the children placed there — and keep siblings under the same roof. Bale wasn't part of the foster care system himself. When Tracy Smith asked if his own experience — frequently moving as a child — had shaped his interest, he said, 'I think it probably did, but I don't think you have to have any connection to foster care in your past. It's just about a basic understanding that as a society, how can we not take care of our children? So I don't think it requires a connection, it just requires having a heart.' The idea started nearly two decades ago, after Bale became a father. He looked at his daughter, Emmeline (who goes by Luka), and began thinking about kids who didn't have the same kind of stability. That led him to Tim McCormack, a foster care provider in Chicago whose model emphasized sibling unity and education. McCormack's homes had a 100% high school graduation rate. Nationally, only 48% of foster youth graduate from high school — and just 3% earn a college degree. Construction is underway near the site where Bale filmed Ford v. Ferrari in 2019. He says he 'adores the whole design process' and has brought in close friends to help fund it — including Leonardo DiCaprio. If all goes to plan, Together California will begin welcoming its first children in early 2026. 'If I'd have known it had been 17 years, I still would have done it,' Bale said. 'Because this is something that when, you know, I'm closing my eyes for the last time, I want to look and say, obviously I want to be thinking about my family, [and] want to think about did I do some good? Did I make any changes in the world that were useful? And this will be one of the things that I'll be most proud of when I draw my last breath.'Best of SheKnows Kristen Stewart, Keke Palmer, & More Stars Who Had Dramatic Hair Changes Every Celebrity Who Put Their Own Spin on the Little Black Dress Trend 16 Movies & TV Shows That Are Excessively Violent Toward Women
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christian Bale's mission to keep foster siblings together
Christian Bale may have played a superhero in the "Batman" franchise, but now he's on a real life mission to help some kids who could really use a hero. And for Bale, it's the role of a lifetime. The Oscar-winning actor is helping to build Together California, a foster care home designed to keep orphaned siblings together, in the desert community of Palmdale, California. Some organizations estimate up to 75 percent of siblings end up living apart after entering foster care in the U.S. "And so you imagine the trauma of that, you know? But added trauma to being taken from your parents, and then you lose your siblings, you know, that's just something that we shouldn't be doing," Bale told "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Tracy Smith. "It just requires having a heart" Bale said you don't necessarily need to have any history with – or connection to – the foster care system in order to be moved to take action and offer help. "It just requires having a heart," said Bale, adding that it just takes the basic understanding that as a society we should be taking care of our children. The inspiration behind Bale's foster care work came 17 years ago when he looked at his young daughter and imagined her without parents. He began to look into foster care and found Tim McCormick, who ran foster homes in Chicago for decades. Bale recruited McCormick to help him open Together California, a village in Los Angeles that houses groups of foster siblings. The siblings can stay together in individual houses around a central garden, where they're cared for by trained foster parents whose only job will be to look after them. "This is what this site is about. We create a place for authentic goodness to flourish. And it certainly impacts a child, but it impacts all of us. We create a different story of us as a society," Bale said. Bringing a vision to life Architects at AC Marin are helping bring Bale's vision to life, breaking ground on the construction site in February 2024. While it's one of their smaller architectural projects, AC Martin CEO Tom Hsieh says it's one of their biggest priorities. "I think we're at a point in our society where we have to help. And for me – you know, as exciting as creating the next high rise, we need to give back to society and community. This is small but I'm tremendously proud of this project," Hsieh told "CBS Sunday Morning." Right now, the village is still a construction site, but Bale says it already paints a picture. "I love designing. I love architecture," Bale said. "So I adore the whole design process. And so actually seeing it really – coming to happen is just very, very exciting." There's still a long road ahead. They need to continue to fundraise and find the right foster parents, but it's finally starting to take shape. They're hoping to welcome the first kids early next year. Bale has received numerous accolades throughout his career, but he says opening this center to keep foster siblings together will be among his greatest accomplishments. "This is something that when, you know, I'm closing my eyes for the last time. I wanna look and about, 'Did I do some good? Did I make any changes in the world that were useful?' And this will be one of the things that I'll be most proud of when I, you know, draw my last breath," he said. Raw Video: Mexican navy training ship hits Brooklyn Bridge Surprising facts about Mark Twain that biographer Ron Chernow learned while writing new book Family's goodbye to beloved dog becomes a lesson in letting go
CBS News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Christian Bale's on a mission to keep foster siblings together. For him, it's the role of a lifetime.
Christian Bale may have played a superhero in the "Batman" franchise, but now he's on a real life mission to help some kids who could really use a hero. And for Bale, it's the role of a lifetime. The Oscar-winning actor is helping to build Together California, a foster care home designed to keep orphaned siblings together, in the desert community of Palmdale, California. Some organizations estimate up to 75 percent of siblings end up living apart after entering foster care in the U.S. "And so you imagine the trauma of that, you know? But added trauma to being taken from your parents, and then you lose your siblings, you know, that's just something that we shouldn't be doing," Bale told "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Tracy Smith. "It just requires having a heart" Christian Bale is helping to build Together California, a foster care home designed to keep orphaned siblings together. CBS Sunday Morning Bale said you don't necessarily need to have any history with – or connection to – the foster care system in order to be moved to take action and offer help. "It just requires having a heart," said Bale, adding that it just takes the basic understanding that as a society we should be taking care of our children. The inspiration behind Bale's foster care work came 17 years ago when he looked at his young daughter and imagined her without parents. He began to look into foster care and found Tim McCormick, who ran foster homes in Chicago for decades. Bale recruited McCormick to help him open Together California, a village in Los Angeles that houses groups of foster siblings. The siblings can stay together in individual houses around a central garden, where they're cared for by trained foster parents whose only job will be to look after them. "This is what this site is about. We create a place for authentic goodness to flourish. And it certainly impacts a child, but it impacts all of us. We create a different story of us as a society," Bale said. Bringing a vision to life Together California broke ground on the construction site in February 2024 CBS Sunday Morning Architects at AC Marin are helping bring Bale's vision to life, breaking ground on the construction site in February 2024. While it's one of their smaller architectural projects, AC Martin CEO Tom Hsieh says it's one of their biggest priorities. "I think we're at a point in our society where we have to help. And for me – you know, as exciting as creating the next high rise, we need to give back to society and community. This is small but I'm tremendously proud of this project," Hsieh told "CBS Sunday Morning." Right now, the village is still a construction site, but Bale says it already paints a picture. "I love designing. I love architecture," Bale said. "So I adore the whole design process. And so actually seeing it really – coming to happen is just very, very exciting." There's still a long road ahead. They need to continue to fundraise and find the right foster parents, but it's finally starting to take shape. They're hoping to welcome the first kids early next year. Bale has received numerous accolades throughout his career, but he says opening this center to keep foster siblings together will be among his greatest accomplishments. "This is something that when, you know, I'm closing my eyes for the last time. I wanna look and about, 'Did I do some good? Did I make any changes in the world that were useful?' And this will be one of the things that I'll be most proud of when I, you know, draw my last breath," he said.
