We have a 14 year old girl; she's from Cleveland but we're looking all over the state because we can't find anyone. She's been in 5 different homes in the last 4 years.
We have a sibling group of 2 boys and a baby girl. The current foster parent doesn't want the 8-year boy anymore so we need another home to take them tonight, or they'll be separated.
We have two babies and a preteen older brother. There's multiple homes that want the babies, but no one who can take them all together, can you help?
We have a 16 year old expecting a baby, if she stays in the group home they'll separate her from her baby. There are no homes in central Ohio who will take them both, can you help?
We have a 5 year old with autism who needs an adoptive home by the end of the week.
We have a 9 year old with intellectual disabilities who need a foster home.
We have a 6 year old traumatic brain injury survivor living in a nursing home because no one will accept him with his special needs.
A 14 year old young man who is gay. He'll go to a group home if we can't find anyone, and those places are rough for LGBTQ teens.
Can you help?
Can you help?
Can you help?
The calls keep coming. The kids keep coming into care. And I'll be honest with you, we don't need more homes who want to foster one child ages 0-5. And we certainly don't need more homes who really just want to adopt that perfect little baby or toddler who is "the right fit."
We need people who don't have an ideal child in mind, who don't necessarily want to adopt right away. People who are flexible, who can roll with the punches. We need people who are open to helping MORE THAN ONE KID. We need people who are open to KIDS OVER AGE 5. We need people who AREN'T AFRAID OF ANY/ALL DISABILITIES.
We need people. We need YOU.
The calls summarized above are all real life calls that I or other foster parents have gotten. Real human beings who need someone committed and kind to say yes on the other end of the phone.
Tonight I know of at least one sibling group that's being ripped apart due to lack of homes in this city, and that fucking sucks, and I am tired. Man, it makes me so tired. I am so grateful that our 3 ended up with us but sometimes it feels like I'm in a boat in a rough sea. It's not a very big boat and it's full of people now, but these kids keep on getting thrown into the water. We don't have any more room in our damn boat, I wish we did but it's standing room only at this point, but all around us are these other boats.
Some of these boats have so much space! Some of these captains are rich, man, and have a big ass boat. Some of your boats have so much room!
But you don't stop. You don't stop.
Please, if you're interested in being a foster parent, don't wait. Don't wait to buy a house or make more money or be older or wiser or whatever. Start the process today.
Because the calls keep coming, the rough tide rolling in, the kids thrown into a sea of a system that they didn't ask for.
And the boats don't stop.
