President Ronald Reagan established May as National Foster Care Month to acknowledge those who are making a difference in the lives of foster children. However, the dire need for foster parents in Georgia is becoming more and more apparent every year.
It is estimated that over 7,000 children are in Georgia’s foster care system. In 2014, the state experienced a 22-percent increase in the number of children removed from their homes statewide.
Bloom Our Youth, Inc. (DBA “Bloom”), a Fayette-based non-profit organization, has been working for 25 years to provide foster children with supportive services and placement. In the past few months, the organization has witnessed an increase in calls from the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) looking for temporary placements.
“In March, Bloom received 91 placement requests for children needing temporary homes, compared to the usual average of 30-55 requests per month,” said Bloom program coordinator Judy Matthews.
Bloom has also seen an increase in its foster child client base at its cost-free clothing resource center, The Bloom Closet. In 2014, The Bloom Closet experienced a 33-percent increase in the number of children served. In 2014, the facility gave away $150,000 worth of clothing, books, toys, school supplies, and baby gear to more than 1,000 foster children from 60 Georgia counties. Last month, The Bloom Closet served twice as many children as in April 2014.
Over the last 25 years, Bloom has grown from a grassroots initiative to provide safe refuge for abused children to a dynamic initiative that provides care for foster children throughout the state. Bloom is continually expanding its reach and recently received a child placement licensure which will allow it to extend its services to medically fragile foster children as well as pregnant or parenting foster teen girls.
Bloom’s foster parenting program is geared towards recruiting, training, and supporting foster families in the community. For more information about becoming a foster parent or supporting Bloom, visit www.bloomouryouth.org.
