UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Katie Peters sees a serious need for foster parents in Hamilton County. That’s why she was happy that new Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine shined a light on that important topic in his State of the State address Tuesday.
As a result of the opioid crisis, a wave of neglected children is overburdening the foster care system, says Peters, who works at Child Focus Inc. in Eastgate as assistant director for out-of-home care.
Hamilton County has seen a 45 percent increase in children entering custody in just the last six years.
“We’re a system that’s overwhelmed anyway and with the opioid epidemic, we’re becoming even more overwhelmed,” Peters said.
Not only are more kids coming into care, they’re staying longer, Peters said.
Peters was happy DeWine advocated for expanded services to relieve the crisis.
“It’s great to see that on a state level people are taking notice and they’re really wanting to stop, look at things and really make them better,” Peters said.
That goes for Rena Craver, too. In the last 14 years, Craver and her husband have fostered more than a dozen kids and seen the impact of the opioid epidemic first-hand.
“We’re the ones that are there every day. We’re the ones that know what we’re dealing with on our end,” Craver said.
“I hear the stories at the county level of sibling groups having to be separated because there’s not enough room necessarily in one foster home.”
Craver takes her role as a foster parent seriously.
“It’s our responsibility to give them all the tools that are necessary once they leave our home,” she said.
Interested in becoming a foster parent? Get information here.
