BRAZOS COUNTY, TX — An office of only two- America's Heart Inc. staff in Bryan are constantly trying to find homes for thousands of foster children in the Lone Star state.
"The numbers are increasing every day. We're getting more calls every day, and so the need is just heightening for people to open their hearts and homes to these kiddos," Claire Hohertz, foster home developer, America's Heart Inc. said.
"We're at a capacity crisis in Texas right now. We don't have enough foster homes for the amount of children needing them," Amelia Kurk, foster care case manager, America's Heart Inc. said.
As of June 2021, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reports about 2100 children needing a foster home in the region... with at least 500 are in Brazos County.
"We really emphasize the fact that when you're fostering, you're allowing these kids a second chance to receive a lot of attention that maybe they didn't get at a previous home," Hohertz said.
Case manager Amelia Kurk says the pandemic and people's preference of who to foster makes it harder to match families. And Claire Hohertz, the foster home developer says it's even harder for older teens.
"That's when they're getting closer to aging out of the system so now more than ever, they need that support, and that love and that attention," Hohertz said.
Not knowing if and when there will be enough parents to pair kids in the foster care system, the staff focuses on the difference made every time there is a successful match.
"The smile's not only on the kids' faces but on the parent faces too because they found that missing piece and they're completed in a way they never could be before," Hohertz said.
If you are interested in fostering, you can be paired with a child in as soon as three months.
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