The Need

The U.S. has roughly 540,000 children in foster care. Monroe County, NY alone has 960 foster children – 700 of them in foster homes; the rest in group homes or in higher levels of care. The number of certified foster homes available locally decreased by 20% in recent years. One reason is a positive one -- many foster families have adopted the children they had fostered, filling up their available beds and completing their families. Nevertheless, there is a continual need for more homes to keep up with the number of new foster care placements made each year.