TRENTON -- In a landmark union of church and state, Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Hamilton has teamed up with St. Francis Medical Center to provide temporary shelter at the hospital for children in need of foster care.

Angel's Wings, the first respite shelter of its kind in New Jersey, will provide room and board for up to 12 children at a time in a now-vacant wing at the hospital. The Division of Youth and Family Services will cover daily operating costs and selected community volunteers will act as foster parents in four-hour shifts.

The program will begin in June.

Founders of Angels Wings said it was created to meet the state's perennial shortage of foster homes.

"The bottom line is we don't have enough foster families to meet the needs of children in our care or who will be in our care in the future," said Charles Venti, director of DYFS. "This facility gives us a placement option and gives kids a chance to be somewhere safe until we can make the right match with a foster family."

Currently 6,400 foster children are being served in 2,700 foster homes in the state, Venti said.

The shortage of available homes places a huge burden on the state and the families, he said. He said the state is often forced to ask foster parents to house more children than they would like or take on children who differ in some way from the children that family had initially agreed to care for.

"That situation is not the best thing for the family or the child," Venti said.

Between 300 and 400 additional families are needed to meet the demands on the state foster care system, Venti said. Until there are enough homes for placement, facilities such as Angels Wings can fill the void.

VENTI SAID the program will allow caseworkers to make emergency placements they might not otherwise have made.

"When there is a child protection situation we should always act to protect the child and if we're unsure we should be erring on the side of caution," Venti said. "When it's a situation in the middle of the night and a caseworker's options are limited, might that influence the decision (to remove children from a home)? I don't really know. I hope not, but I can't tell you that never happens."

The average stay at the hospital will be 30 days, Venti said. The wing will be renovated to resemble a regular home, he said.

Angels Wings is the first of its kind in the state, Venti said. A North Jersey facility provides a similar program for children but is run by a paid staff. This is the state's first to be staffed by volunteers, Venti said.

"This will serve as a model for us as we look to reform our child welfare system," he said.

The idea of community-based foster care was conceived by the Rev. Paul Rimassa, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church. In January the parish began an all-volunteer respite/foster care center on the second floor of its convent on East State Street Extension. The children are placed by DYFS and cared for by parishioners who have met the state's foster care standards.

"That was the beginning," said Rimassa. "It paved the way for Angels Wings. The fact that we started at the church and proved ourselves there showed everyone we could (run a foster program) with volunteers. It's much easier to take the next step to a larger facility."

Rimassa said a hospital was a logical choice.

"It's in the community, it's a healing place and it's a safe place," he said.

ST. FRANCIS officials offered the use of the seldom used children's wing.

"Much of children's health care is now provided on an outpatient basis so this wing had become pretty much vacant," said Wendy Marano, a hospital spokeswoman. "The children who do have to be hospitalized are placed in a smaller unit on a different floor."

The facility is already set up for children, with bright colored walls decorated with colorful murals. Cribs are plentiful but DYFS will pay to replace the more institutional metal beds and dressers with traditional bedroom furniture. The state agency will also fund renovations to provide the wing with eating facilities and playrooms. Once the program is under way DYFS will pay for utilities and cleaning costs, he said.

State officials could not provide a dollar figure for the program.

Judith M. Persichilli, president and CEO of the hospital, said every effort will be made to establish a family atmosphere in the hospital.

"The will be a real home for children who are taken from their parents in a traumatic and difficult time," she said.

Persichilli said about 100 volunteers weekly will be needed to staff the floor. Those wanting to participate must undergo a background check and be fingerprinted before participating in a foster parent training program.

"We're issuing a call for volunteers," Persichilli said. "We must line up our volunteers by June."

Those wishing to become volunteers can call 586-9208.