ATLANTA — As Foster Care Awareness Month comes to a close, child welfare advocates are highlighting a pressing issue in Georgia’s foster care system; the lack of available foster families in local communities.
There are currently about 11,000 children in foster care across the state. Due to a shortage of foster homes, 68% of those children are being placed with families outside their home counties, a disruption that can further complicate an already traumatic experience.
Allison Ashe, President and CEO of Wellroot Family Services, says these out-of-county placements often result in children being uprooted from familiar environments.
“And that means they end up going to a different school system, they lose their community networks, they lose their friendships,” Ashe said. “In a time that’s already so difficult for them, they really lose many of those connections.”
She emphasized that the solution starts with more people stepping up to foster children in their own communities.
“To be taken out of their community and taken away from all of their connections and everything that is known to them is particularly challenging,” Ashe said. “The key is for more people to take the leap and foster a child so kids can stay connected in communities they know.”
Advocates hope that increased awareness will lead to more families opening their homes and their hearts to children in need, helping them stay rooted in familiar surroundings as they navigate life in foster care.
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