San Luis Obispo County has a goal of finding 75 homes for foster youth by the end of 2025. The 72-25 initiate started last May during National Foster Care Month. County workers who started the goal say they're not where they want to be and community help is desperately needed.
As of April, the county has met 35% of its 75-25 initiative goal. According to Child Welfare program manager Roxi Selck, people often don’t take the first step to becoming a foster parent because of common misconceptions.
“One of the common misconceptions about foster care is just kind of the fear of the unknown," Selck said. "Am I going to have to work with birth parents? How is this going to affect my children? I work full time. I don't own my home. I'm not married. There's lots of different reasons why people don't take that first step.”
While 29 new foster families are committed, Selck says 49 homes are still needed. The need includes six homes for youth ages 13 and up, seven homes for youth ages 6-12, 10 homes for youth ages 0-5, one emergency foster care home, and one shelter home through the Family Care Network.
“When you take a foster child into your home, there's a whole spectrum of things that the department can do to support you," Selck added. "Everything from financial support all the way up to tangible items. Maybe you need a crib, maybe you need a bed, maybe the child comes with no clothing.”
Funding for foster families is determined by both the state and the social worker depending on the child’s needs, ranging from therapeutic services to sports participation.
“When you're very upset about what's going on around the world, there's nothing more impactful than helping children," County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said.
Ortiz-Legg has seen foster children at their most vulnerable and is a supporter of the initiative.
“We know that during a really traumatic time in their life, when they can be removed from a home, that if we don't have resource families there, then what will happen is that our staff is going to have to go into a hotel room with them," Ortiz-Legg said. "That's why we need the emergency shelter homes."
More information on becoming a resource-family home can be found here.
