WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

We can do better; Washington’s foster children are depending on us

The lives of foster children are often filled with unbearable trauma. Many have endured abuse or neglect, and been removed from their families. These children are our most vulnerable; they have no family to care for them. And, in these times, more than ever, they need support, stability and love.

Legislators here in Washington recognize this, and over the last few years, they’ve worked to make big strides to improve the lives of foster children. They’ve passed a laws to:

However, a new story out from King 5 News shows a large, more basic problem at hand for our state’s foster children – a lack of foster homes. In Everett alone, there are only 46 approved foster homes, but 300 children who need a safe, stable place to live. With a lack of foster homes in a child’s area, social workers have no choice but to send them out of their community, to a home elsewhere – adding to the trauma.

We all need to take responsibility for our state’s foster children. We can all raise awareness. And our legislators here in Washington will work to alleviate the foster home crisis. Having passed many other important reforms over the last several years, they have the knowledge and the tools to tackle this crisis too. Together, we can ensure that foster children have the opportunity to lead happy, healthy, productive lives.