The Hogan family in Grover Beach has been a cornerstone of the county’s foster care community, taking in nine foster children over the last decade and adopting two of them into their family.
“We just want to help those that need help and we can help,” Hilary Hogan says.
Their youngest adopted child, Everett, was surrendered at birth.
“We love them as much as our own," Hogan says. "They are part of our family. And they… they are ours.”
In San Luis Obispo County, according to the Child Welfare Division, the Foster Care department currently manages 260 youths in care. However, only half of them can be placed with relatives, leaving 130 children without guardians.
“We've been working with a deficit now for multiple years, and these youth are coming from, you know, every corner of the county," Felipe Gonzalez, a Program Review Specialist for Foster Care Support, says.
He says the deficit makes it challenging to find an ideal match for children that enter foster care without relative placement. That often results in placing youth wherever there is an available bed.
It's one of the reasons the county recently launched the 75/25 Initiative, aiming to develop 75 new community-based resource family homes by the end of 2025.
“When a child is in their home community, they're usually experiencing less trauma because they're not having to be relocated to another part of the county," Gonzalez said.
For the Hogans, fostering and adopting children has always been about providing a safe and loving environment.
“If we're going to put our efforts in trying to help people, we start with the ones that truly are, you know, [needing] the most help because they can't help themselves, obviously," Bradley Hogan says.
To learn more about the process of getting a Resource Family Approval, click here.
