The Division Director for Children’s Services in Washoe County says the coronavirus pandemic hit foster care providers hard.
“We really really hope to get our numbers up,” Cara Paoli, division director, told News 4-Fox 11.
Right now Washoe County Human Services Agency has 201 licensed foster homes. Compare that to 239 before the pandemic almost 40 fewer homes and 175 fewer beds.
For perspective, there were 664 foster kids in the system at the time of this article.
Both the Human Services Agency and Washoe County foster care parents say they’ve noticed the problem, and hope more families pursue their foster care license.
“It is difficult. It is hard work,” explained Zack, a Washoe County foster parent. “It is also the most rewarding thing and I say that as a firefighter. I’ve been personally involved in situations where the care I provide to a patient has been the difference between life and death. I still find my work as a foster parent more impactful.”
We are keeping Zack’s last name confidential for the privacy of his family. In the last 6 years his family has fostered 11 children in their home.
“I think COVID caused a lot of burnout in a lot of different areas for everybody,” he told us.
Paoli agreed.
“We always are invested in quality care for children so it was difficult for foster families to navigate,” she said.
Now she says the struggle to find child care, combined with the inflation and the economy is making it worse.
Zack mentors foster families who are just starting out and says the county struggles with retaining families, especially through the first year.
“There's so much that goes into being a phenomenal foster parent, it takes some time to learn all those things,” he said. “In that first year you’re learning about seeking medical providers for a child, you’re learning about how to be a good co-parent with birth families, it’s learning how to navigate the judicial system both for the foster children and for the families that are working through that.”
On top of that, you’re caring for a kid going through one of the worst moments of their lives.
“These kids have trauma that’s happened in their lives so they will test parents sometimes,” said Paoli.
But she says it’s worth it for families who want to make a difference while their biological parents do the work to get them back
“We are honoring reunification and trying to get kids back to their biological parents and that can be really difficult for foster parents who’ve formed an attachment with these kids,” Paoli said.
Right now, about 20 kids don’t have a home to go to So they’re staying in what’s called the “Kid’s Kottage.” Paoli says the children get great care there-- but the setting, being around so many others also going through trauma--
“It leads to really having to adapt more in situations they aren’t in any control over, it really is expecting quite a bit from these kids,” she said.
The more foster families there are, the more kids have a choice of where they want to live, and the less bouncing around they do according to Paoli. That makes for a more stable system.
If you are interested in fostering a child through Washoe County, you can find more information on their Have a Heart website here: https://www.haveaheartwashoe.us/foster-care-services/become-a-foster-parent/
If you can’t commit to fostering but still want to help, Washoe County also has a great mentoring program where you can take a child along with you to do your favorite things, and become their shoulder to lean on as they navigate big life changes. You can find more details about that here.