Georgia nonprofit searching for foster families as state sees steep decline in participants

More than 11,000 children in Georgia are in foster care, but new numbers show the state has fewer and fewer families to place kids with.

The number of licensed foster homes in Georgia has declined by 40% since 2019, double the national average.

Allison Ashe, the CEO of Georgia nonprofit Wellroot Family Services, says inflation and COVID fatigue are some of the reasons.

"As inflation continues to grow, the per diems for being a foster parent have not kept pace with that, and foster parents are having to do more with covering the cost, so we need as a state and at the federal level to provide more resources for families that are willing to step up," Ashe said.

The nonprofit that recruits, trains, and supports foster families. They aim to keep kids close to home.

"One of the things that happens when we don't have enough foster families is that children have to be placed out of county, and that takes a situation that is already traumatic for a child and makes it significantly worse. When a child can be fostered near where they're living, they can stay in their school system, they can keep their friendship networks, they can, for the most part, try to have a life as usual as possible during an unstable time," Ashe said.

In Georgia, 68% of children statewide are placed outside their county.

"We felt a responsibility to be a safe place for kids who needed it," said Elise White, a foster mother with Georgia AGAPE.

White and her husband have fostered two boys.

"One of the biggest things I did not expect was our relationship with the foster children's biological family," said White. "We had them over for Easter, never thought we'd be in a position where after they go back and reunify, they would be coming back with their family … It is such a blessing that we still get to see them and still get to see that they're doing well."

Telisha Burke has been a foster parent for six years.

"My grandmother fostered for, I would say, 20 years," said Burke. "It truly  takes a village."

White and Burke encourage anyone curious about fostering to look into it.

"I would say it's definitely much easier than expected. Fostering has been a joy," said Burke.

"Perfection is not a requirement at all, and if it's something you think about and know is needed, and you wonder, could you do it? You can. You can do it," said White.

Wellroot is working on recruiting more foster parents like Burke and White through churches and digital marketing.