LITTLE ROCK, AR – Hutchinson is asking for help from the faith based community, seeking to inspire them to expand their ministries and seek greater involvement in the state’s foster care system.
Tamra Norman has two biological kids, two adopted kids and is serving as an emergency foster parent for another.
But she still gets calls from desperate DHS workers trying to find beds for children the agency has taken into custody.
“The case worker said I’ve had three kids on my floor all night long can you please take one of them?,” says Tamra.
The situation is symbolic of what Governor Asa Hutchinson called Tuesday a crisis in the state’s foster care system, nearly 4,500 kids and only 2,500 spots for foster homes.
“This is unacceptable for our children,” Hutchinson says.
Without foster parents, advocates say children end up in emergency shelters and group homes.
“The Call most children who come into foster care have suffered some kind of significant trauma in their lives already and we increase that trauma when we move them from home to home to home,” says The Call Director Lauri Currier.
To help with the problem, Hutchinson is looking to the religious community. During a press conference, he announced a summit of 5,000 leaders from across the state to be held in Little Rock at the end of August.
“To inspire greater engagement of the faith community and religious organizations in supporting the care of kids of our community,” Hutchinson says.
Tamra Norman says she hopes the governor is successful in finding more homes for foster kids. She says her family, like many others, has reached its limit, “I feel terrible there are times when I make my husband call them back because I’m like I can’t say no.”
The governor says the summit will be funded with private money but says some of the state’s resources including the governor’s website will be used to promote it.
He says it will include a diverse religious representation. He’s planning to send out 5,000 invites. In addition to the foster care problem, the summit will also seek help reintegrating people back into society after they are released from prison.
The governor says on average 6,000 inmates are released every year. But there are only 500 beds in a transition program set up by the legislature during the last session.
The unemployment rate among parolees in nearly 50 percent and the governor hopes religious leaders can come up with some solutions.
Tamra Norman has two biological kids, two adopted kids and is serving as an emergency foster parent for another.
But she still gets calls from desperate DHS workers trying to find beds for children the agency has taken into custody.
“The case worker said I’ve had three kids on my floor all night long can you please take one of them?,” says Tamra.
The situation is symbolic of what Governor Asa Hutchinson called Tuesday a crisis in the state’s foster care system, nearly 4,500 kids and only 2,500 spots for foster homes.
“This is unacceptable for our children,” Hutchinson says.
Without foster parents, advocates say children end up in emergency shelters and group homes.
“The Call most children who come into foster care have suffered some kind of significant trauma in their lives already and we increase that trauma when we move them from home to home to home,” says The Call Director Lauri Currier.
To help with the problem, Hutchinson is looking to the religious community. During a press conference, he announced a summit of 5,000 leaders from across the state to be held in Little Rock at the end of August.
“To inspire greater engagement of the faith community and religious organizations in supporting the care of kids of our community,” Hutchinson says.
Tamra Norman says she hopes the governor is successful in finding more homes for foster kids. She says her family, like many others, has reached its limit, “I feel terrible there are times when I make my husband call them back because I’m like I can’t say no.”
The governor says the summit will be funded with private money but says some of the state’s resources including the governor’s website will be used to promote it.
He says it will include a diverse religious representation. He’s planning to send out 5,000 invites. In addition to the foster care problem, the summit will also seek help reintegrating people back into society after they are released from prison.
The governor says on average 6,000 inmates are released every year. But there are only 500 beds in a transition program set up by the legislature during the last session.
The unemployment rate among parolees in nearly 50 percent and the governor hopes religious leaders can come up with some solutions.