MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Foster kids have been sleeping in government buildings and hotels because they have nowhere else to go. It was a shocking revelation when WCNC Charlotte first got tipped off to this last spring, but it’s still happening.
Now, the state is finally stepping in, seeking solutions and sending emergency money to North Carolina counties to stop this practice. Mecklenburg County leaders said they’ve got a plan to help as well.
The question is if there will really be a fix anytime soon.
Almost a year after WCNC Charlotte first learned foster kids with nowhere to go were sleeping in government buildings, the state is admitting that it’s still happening, and a lot.
A state issued press release confirms an average of 32 kids are living in Division of Social Services (DSS) offices each week.
Nicole Taylor is the executive director of Congregations for Kids, a nonprofit that works to recruit, train and support foster parents.
"It is devastating, and it has been devastating, to see around the country, not just here, where social workers are working around the clock to figure out where these kids are going to go," Taylor said.
Taylor and her team are gearing up to take on a bigger role as the state releases emergency cash to area counties to help find homes for kids in DSS custody. Mecklenburg County will get almost $80,000 this year and more than double that next year.
"It's encouraging to see the state stepping forward to say, 'Hey we're acknowledging this is a problem,'" Taylor said.
A county spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte no one would talk on camera about the problem or the money the state is sending to help, but in an email told WCNC Charlotte that county leaders are working on streamlining the process to become a foster parent.
"When we talk about streamlining anything in child welfare that’s exciting, what does that look like for us when we’re recruiting and training and helping to provide support for foster families, we want to make it as easy as possible," Taylor said.
At the county budget retreat last month, DSS director Kim Henderson told county leaders, "The need currently outweighs the capacity."
As of December 2023, there were 423 kids in DSS custody in Mecklenburg County and fewer than 100 licensed foster care homes.
"What we know is that our network lacks full capacity to give support to each and every one of those children," Henderson added.
Taylor added foster care is complicated.
"When people say the system is broken, it is broken," Taylor said.
Also in that email to WCNC Charlotte, the county spokesperson said they are finally planning to roll out an awareness campaign about becoming a foster care parent, which they’ve talked about since last summer. That campaign is now expected sometime next month.
Contact Michelle Boudin at mboudin@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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