Foster Homes: Will they Survive the Economy?

By Lara Turner

With the economy in the state it is in, providing foster care for children has become a lot harder to do. Families who would normally take in two to four children, on top of the two or three children they already have on their own, have to decline because of money shortages. When agencies set a child up with a family the agency gives the family a certain amount of money per month for most of the child's needs, but because of the way the market is right now agencies have had to cut costs 10%. Another issue is that foster families are being forced out of their homes that have five bedrooms into homes that only have three. These families cannot foster children even if they wanted to because they have no room. Foster agencies are worried because now more than ever children are being put into foster care because their own families cannot take care of them, but they have no where for the children to go. Some of the agencies have considered cutting down on salaries in order to try and put these children into a home. 

Even though this seems to be the trend for most agencies, one agency in Kansas, says that with government backing to help them advertise the need for foster homes, they have had more volunteers than ever before. Many of these families can afford to have an extra child or two in the home or they are "empty nesters" and want the company of children again. People from this agency have said that the families volunteering  say that it is about the experience and not about the money. They are willing to tighten up their budgets a little in order to help a child in need.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_foster12.29e159c.html

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20257657&BRD=1160&PAG=461&dept_id=190958&rfi=6

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/feb/08/more-families-mull-fostering-children/?city_local