Fact Check: Is Christian Bale building homes in California to keep foster siblings together?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In Hollywood’s ever-shifting landscape, Christian Bale has carved a niche for himself with his astonishing portrayals in cinematic juggernauts like ‘The Machinist’, ‘The Dark Knight’, and countless others.

However, despite amassing a net worth of a whopping $120 million, Bale usually keeps himself down-to-earth, driving around in a 2003 Toyota Tacoma and steering clear of the Hollywood spotlight with a low-key lifestyle.

Due to the secrecy around his personal life, the ‘Vice’ star often finds himself surrounded by a storm of trumped up rumors.

In the most recent wave, a slew of videos and social media posts claimed that Bale is spending $22 million to build 12 homes in Palmdale, California, that are aimed at keeping siblings in the foster-care system together.

There have been at least a dozen social media posts outlining the moving titbit, but is there any truth to this? Let's find out below.

Claim: Christian Bale is building homes in California to keep foster siblings together

The claim came into the public eye after a viral Facebook post claimed: "Christian Bale is taking a stand for children in the foster care system by building 12 homes designed to keep siblings together.”

“His initiative aims to provide stability and family unity for kids who are often separated,” the caption continued. The post soon took the internet by storm, garnering more than 2K likes and many more shares.

The claim further flared up on X, Instagram, and Bluesky, where posts included an alleged $22 million price for the development.

While many users celebrated Bale’s rumoured initiative, some raised questions over the credibility of the information.

Fact Check: Claim is true as Christian Bale is building homes for foster siblings

The heartwarming claim about Christian Bale building homes for foster siblings is absolutely true.

The ‘Dark Knight’ star and Together California, a charity founded by the actor, his wife Sibi, University of California, and Dr Eric Esrailian, kick-started the project, by breaking ground on the construction site in February 2024.

Together California previously reported that the village, which is close to Palmdale, will have a community center and 12 residences. According to Snopes, the project was estimated to cost $22 million at the time of the groundbreaking.

Earlier this month, CBS also reported that the community hopes to welcome its first children "next year." Their report further claimed that "trained foster parents" would take care of the children living in the village.

To make his vision come true, the British actor joined hands with architect AC Martin, who revealed that 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.

Christian Bale reveals what inspired him to build homes for foster care siblings

Seventeen years ago, when Bale looked at his young daughter, he imagined what life would be like if she didn’t have parents — a thought that inspired his dedication to foster care.

Talking about his project, Bale told CBS 'Sunday Morning' correspondent Tracy Smith that you don't need to have a history or connection to the foster care system to be motivated to help make it better for children.

"It just requires having a heart," said Bale, adding that as a society, we should be taking care of our children.

The father-of-two went on to say, "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."

"This is something that when, you know, I'm closing my eyes for the last time. I wanna look and say...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, you know, draw my last breath," he added.