A passion project of actor Christian Bale has begun construction, which will build 12 new foster homes aiming to keep siblings together.

The actor, perhaps best known for playing Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy, was in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony in Antelope Valley, which is located less than 100 miles from Los Angeles. In addition to these 12 foster homes, two studio apartments and a 7,000-square-foot community center will also be constructed, with construction set to be finished sometime next year.

“With our Together California model, [the village] is something absolutely new, totally transformative and something completely needed,” Bale said. “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. And so, we will be the hub for that.”

Bale added that he hopes the construction of these foster homes will be “the first of many” and expressed hope that it will bring attention to the separation of foster siblings to other state residents.

The actor’s interest in philanthropy, which goes back 16 years, stems from his late father. Bale stated that his father was “always very active and altruistic” and that his family would always have people “who didn’t have homes” living in their house, which he said he greatly admired.

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This project is estimated to cost around $22 million and is being led by Together California, which Bale co-founded with Dr. Eric Esrailian.

Outside of starring in The Dark Knight trilogy, the actor is best known for starring in the film American Psycho, a 2000 film about a man who works as a businessman during the day and a serial killer at night. The film only grossed $34,266,564 in its run in theaters but has since been popularized on the internet and social media.