Why Foster Kids?

In October 2019, 32 children were in such placements as motels or office buildings overseen by caseworkers, according to DFPS data. In August 2021, that number had risen to 395 children.

Foster placements (2021)

-Foster Family Home - Non-Relative 12,417 (45%)

-Foster Family Home – Relative 9,457 (34%)

-Group Home Or Institution 2,968 (11%)

-Pre-Adoptive Home 351 (1%)

-Runaway 220 (1%)

-Supervised Independent Living 22 (<.5%)

-Trial Home Visit 2,150 (8%)

One child without a family is a crisis!

How can we help families foster?

 Age

     Problem:  You must be a minimum of 21 years old to foster.

     Solution:  We can’t make anyone older, but we can certainly help people prepare for foster care so that when they are of age they can begin to help.

Income

     Problem:  You have to meet certain financial requirements to qualify to foster.

     Solution:  Eliminating rent/mortgage can affect the debt-to-income ratio in favor of the foster parent(s).

Health

     Problem:  Debilitating and terminal diseases can be disqualifiers to foster.

     Solution:  Sadly there are some health situations that are disqualifiers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still help!

Criminal History

     Problem:  We all make mistakes in our youth.  It is unfortunate that some of those can cause criminal histories that are foster disqualifiers.

     Solution:  While we can’t remove your past, we can help navigate the road to overcoming it.  Not every offense is a permanent disqualification.

Lifestyle

     Problem:  Many foster agencies have differing rules about how foster parents spend their free time.

     Solution:  Understanding what may be hurdles can help you remove them.

Housing

     Problem:  Your living space must pass assessments to ensure it is safe for a child.

     Solution:  If we know the housing requirements, we can build our houses to meet them.

Training

     Problem:  There are certain training requirements and it can be difficult to gather all the information for them.

     Solution:  By partnering with the training agencies, we can help families travel through the process more efficiently.

Stress/Anger Issues

     Problem:  

     Solution:  Sometimes becoming a caretaker for others means learning to care for yourself first.