Foster Care Homes for Babies in Short Supply
Contra Costa County has run out of foster care homes for young children, raising concerns about what to do with the next infant who needs a place to go.
The child might have to be sent to another county, officials warned. “We’re really facing a shortage,” said Linda Canan, the county’s child welfare manager.
The crisis has been fueled by a loss of long-term caregivers who have either retired or moved away. About 2,000 children are in foster care in Contra Costa County at any given time. About 15% -- or 300 -- are infants and toddlers younger than 2.
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