Strengthening the Frontlines: Stearns County Has Urgent Need for Foster Care Providers
Stearns County Human Services doesn’t have enough foster homes — and local kids and Stearns County taxpayers are paying the price.
The numbers tell the story: In 2024, Stearns County Human Services had 100 children who needed non-relative placements, and so far this year, they have had about 75.
Stearns County Human Services only has 17 homes accepting foster children, and they are full. That means dozens of Stearns County children are placed outside the county, away from familiar schools, their siblings, and friends. It creates additional costs for local taxpayers, too.
These children and teens need a non-relative foster placement for a wide variety of reasons, including parental mental health issues, chemical use issues, neglect, and physical abuse. They have one important thing in common, though: They are one caring adult away from being a success story.
Stearns County Human Services Is Seeking Everyday People for Foster Care
We know — and Stearns County leaders know — that we have many of those caring adults right here. Now is a crucial time to act, not only because of the number of children in need but also because the number of Stearns County residents seeking to provide foster care has dropped 40 percent in the past 7 years.
Let's work together to reverse that trend. You don't need to have a background in social services or child development to be a great foster parent; you just need to be able to provide a stable, patient, and caring environment for a child who cannot live with his or her family at the moment. You must be at least 21 years old, but besides that, there is a lot of flexibility:
- You may live in a single-family house, a townhouse, a duplex, or an apartment.
- You need to have a reliable income, but you may have a job outside the home, run your own business, or be retired.
- You may be single, married, in a relationship, or widowed.
- You may or may not have other children in the home.
Foster parents receive a stipend to cover costs associated with having children in their homes, and the children's medical care is covered, but foster parents are responsible for:
- Ensuring children attend school, medical appointments, and therapy appointments
- Building a trusting relationship
- Meeting children's cultural needs
- Transporting children to visits with their families
This Local Foster Parent Is Honest About the Challenges and Rewards
After fostering 24 Stearns County children in six years, Robbi Hoy says dealing with all the different personalities and perspectives, including laws that don't always make sense, has been a big challenge for her.
"I would never change being a foster care provider for anything," Robbi says. "I wish more people would get involved. The only way to help make a change in the lives of children is to get involved. These kids want structure, they want to feel like they belong.”
She mostly fosters teens and cries every time one leaves her home, knowing that their future probably won't be easy. She has the teen draw on a tile before they leave so she can remember each one who has touched her life, and some keep in touch after they have left her home.
“No matter how hard their life has been, I know I have made a change," she said. "I have made a difference, and that makes it all worth it”.
If you and your family would like to open your home to Stearns County children or teens, visit the Stearns County Human Services website to learn more about the foster care program and sign up for an orientation. As a community, we can't change their beginnings, but we can help shape their endings.
