FAIRMONT – Faribault and Martin County Health and Human Services (FMCHS) has seen the number of licensed foster homes shrink in recent years and is looking for people to help provide much-needed options for children in need.

The shrinkage is bittersweet, according to FMCHS Social Worker Jen Nelson, as the main reason it has occurred is foster homes permanently adopting children whose situations with their birth family could not be resolved.

“Wonderful, amazing foster homes taking in children, adopting or gaining a transfer of custody of the children, and then they’re unable to continue with foster care,” she said.

The foster program is a temporary measure for children while their families work out any issues that have arisen and necessitate the program.

“They sometimes need alternate placement while their birth family is working on issues to make it safe for the child to return home,” Nelson said. “In those instances we would then need to make sure that we had somewhere safe for them to go where their basic needs could be met.”

More often than not, FMCHS is able to find a relative for the child to live with. When that is not the case, foster homes are needed. The number of children who need foster care at any time often jumps up and down depending on the situation.

“It could be anywhere from zero children to a whole handful, or sibling group of children,” Nelson said. “That’s often when we find ourselves in the most trouble is when we have these sibling groups of four to five kids, and it’s very hard to place them all with one provider.”

Currently, there are only three licensed foster homes in Faribault County and four in Martin County. Nelson said they want at least six more foster homes in Faribault County and six to 12 more in Martin County.

With this current shortage, Nelson said it makes things more difficult for the staff and the children being placed.

“We sometimes have to reach out to other counties,” she said. “We have to still have to oversee these children, so our case managers are traveling more and driving long distances to visits with the families.”

While the task could seem daunting, Nelson said plenty of people could be good candidates for having a licensed foster home.

“Having the desire to give back to the community, to volunteer their time,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any way to nail down the perfect candidate. I really think it comes down to anybody who [wants to help]. We provide training, support, resources. The pieces are there, and if somebody is willing to put themselves out there, we’re willing to work with them.”

This includes medical assistance to cover any medical care costs, respite services when foster home providers get burned out, mandatory and optional trainings, potential help with transportation and financial compensation.

Steps have been taken to get the word out about foster care and to recruit new foster care homes.

“I’ve gone to some libraries and put flyers and bookmarks in the libraries,” Nelson said. “I’ve gone to area restaurants and put an interactive place mat out with the cooperation of the facilities, trying to spark the interest, raise questions, or whatever it may happen to be. We’ve tried many different things, and we’re a few different things to let people know we really want to work with them, and we are asking for our community’s help.”

If becoming a full-fledged foster home doesn’t sound like the right fit, Nelson said they also need assistance with respite services for foster homes.

“Anyone, even a relative who takes in three, four kids, or whatever it happens to be, is going to get burnt out at some point,” she said. “They’re dealing with behaviors, emotions, family dynamics. To be able to give them a break and use another licensed provider for a weekend or even a night.”

To become a foster home or assist with respite services, licensure is required. Anyone applying must be 21 years of age, a resident of Faribault or Martin County, be able to provide a separate sleeping space for the foster children, have that sleeping space meet safety standards laid out by the state fire marshal, pass a background check, and be financially stable to meet a child’s basic needs.

Bottom line, Nelson said she wants to ensure children in the foster care program have safe, local options to go while their familial situations are resolved.

“This is a scary situation,” she said. “Any child who’s leaving their home, we want to make sure that they are being put in a place where they might still be scared, but it’s going to feel safe. Eventually they’re going to ease into it, and these providers we have are going to feel supported and meet the needs of these children.”

For more information, visit fmchs.com/index.php/services/child-foster-care and call either 507-238-4757 for Martin County, or 507-526-3265 for Faribault County.