One-third of children in need of foster care in Wisconsin are in Milwaukee. That’s more than 2,000 kids living in Milwaukee who need a home. It’s important to give children in foster care some sense of normalcy, and that includes the opportunity to stay in the neighborhoods they are growing up in, attend the same schools, and not have to move to other counties and make new friends.
We need Milwaukee homes to support Milwaukee kids.
So, what do Milwaukee kids need? Our Milwaukee Regional Director, Alissa Getzin, and Case Manager, Jessica Lorum, were interviewed about the Top 3 Foster Parenting Misconceptions:
A lot of people assume that kids in foster care are looking to be adopted. Empty-nesters with grown kids aren’t always looking to adopt. Can they foster children for a short period?
Alissa: Yes! While some foster parents adopt their foster children, most often, children in foster care need someone to provide support, stability, and love while biological parents make needed changes for safety and well-being.
Jessica: When it is determined the biological home is ready for the kids, they return home. Foster parents see first-hand how they have changed a child’s life and supported birth parents, so their family story can continue.
Here’s a story from one of our foster parents: “During a visit between our foster son and his biological father at our home, the father told me that he felt lucky. I found it profound that someone would be feeling lucky when their child was in foster care. It was a very special moment where I was able to share how deeply I care for his son, and we could appreciate the roles we both are playing in his life.”
People think their age and marital status are issues. Can single adults and single parents foster? Can middle-aged and older adults foster?
Alissa: Yes and Yes! We hear from people who think they are too old to foster children in their home. We work with many empty- nesters who have already raised children. They make great foster parents. We have grandparents who are foster parents. We work with single people (both who don’t have children, and who are single parents), and they make great foster parents, too. We think that anyone can change the life of a child in foster care.
Let’s talk about money. Do foster parents need to be wealthy? Do they need to have spotless homes?
Jessica: No way. Kids need someone they can come home to at night. They need love and safety. All they will remember is how their foster parent changed their life, not that they had a big or spotless foster home. We want foster parents who create memories, not spotless homes.
Yes, there are more than 2,000 kids in Milwaukee who need foster parents. You only need to be one person to change a life.
Want to learn more? Contact Alissa Getzin at 414-303-7240 or agetzin@WeAreFoundations.org.
One-third of children in need of foster care in Wisconsin are in Milwaukee. That’s more than 2,000 kids living in Milwaukee who need a home. It’s important to give children in foster care some sense of normalcy, and that includes the opportunity to stay in the neighborhoods they are growing up in, attend the same schools, and not have to move to other counties and make new friends.
