It’s been an ongoing issue for quite some time, but just recently the city announced that it is in dire need of more foster families.

On Thursday the City of Lubbock hosted a meeting to address the issue of the city’s increased need for foster parents and families. Along with representatives from child placing agencies and local religious leaders, Mayor Glen Robertson announced his goal to call on the community to partake in creating more foster families that children can come home to.It’s been an ongoing issue for quite some time, but just recently the city announced that it is in dire need of more foster families.

On Thursday the City of Lubbock hosted a meeting to address the issue of the city’s increased need for foster parents and families. Along with representatives from child placing agencies and local religious leaders, Mayor Glen Robertson announced his goal to call on the community to partake in creating more foster families that children can come home to.

“It is understood that not everyone has the ability to foster a child. However, for those families that have been able to take on this type of responsibility, the children are the ones who greatly benefit from the service,” said Mayor Robertson at the meeting. “I am asking that all the churches come together and work together on this problem that faces our children, because these are Lubbock’s kids.”

According to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, in the United States alone, an estimated 400,000 children are living without permanent families. It’s a silent issue that child placing agencies here in town are excited to address at the local level.

“We hope to see first of all more awareness, more conversations. Those conversations hopefully lead to a little more engagement, more commitments and then people that say ‘yes, I’m willing to open my home, my heart, my resources to support these children’,” said  Jennifer Jarriel, the CEO and President of Depelchin Children’s Center. “Even if you don’t want to be a family, there are other things you can do to support children who have been removed from their homes.”

Aaron Dawson, a foster parent himself and a representative from One Heart Orphan Care, says he and his team are very excited to help local ministries and churches in welcoming new foster parents and families to the initiative.

“The problem is too big for each of us independently, but we know together, the church is called to unify and to make big things happen,” said Dawson. “So, our goal is to empower churches to know what to do and to grow more foster homes in our area.”

And although it’s one of the more difficult tasks on the agenda, one of the primary goals in placing foster children with new families will be trying to keep siblings together.

“A lot of our kids who come into care have brothers and sisters, and so we know that 73% of the kids that come into care in Lubbock County have a sibling, but only 47% of those kids actually get to be placed with their sibling,” said Shawn Vandygriff, CPS Regional Director for Regions 1 and 9. “That’s really important for them to stay here, to stay around their families, their churches, their community, their neighborhoods just keep those important pieces and connections to them.”

Are you interested in becoming a foster parent? Below is a list of the child placing agencies in town. If you have any questions or interest in becoming involved in any way, you are encouraged to contact one of these agencies:

Arrow Child and Family Ministries
6308 Iola Avenue #105
Lubbock, TX
(806) 335 – 9138
Contact: Carrie King carrie.king@arrow.org

Bair Foundation
3411 73rd St.
Lubbock, TX
(806) 797 – 2247
Contact: Nicole Radina nradine@bair.org or www.bari.org
Information meetings held the last Monday of the month 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Benchmark Family Services
4415 71st
Lubbock, TX 79424
(806) 795 – 0623
Contact: Brock Barnette brock.barnette@benchmarkfs.org
Information meetings are flexible

Buckner Children and Family Services
129 Brentwood Ave.
Lubbock, TX 79416
(806) 795 – 7151
Contact Angelina Rodriguez ardoriguez@buckner.org
Informational meetings are every second Tuesday of each month 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Children’s Home of Lubbock
4404 Idalou Rd.
Lubbock, TX 79403
(806) 762 – 0481
Contact: Mary Lauren Taylor mtaylor@childshome.org
Information meetings are planned around the family’s schedule

Children’s Hope
8004 York Avenue
Lubbock, TX 79424
(806) 577 – 0963
Contact: Monica Casey monica.casey@childrenp.org
Information meeting dates and times are flexible

Children’s Protective Services
#7 Briercroft Office Park
Lubbock, TX 79412
(806) 470 – 5197
Contact: Leonor Espinoza leonor.espinoza@dfps.state.tx.us
Information meetings: second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at #7 Briercroft Office Park

Depelchin Children’s Center
2706 82nd Street
Lubbock, TX 79423
(806) 745 – 3222
Contact: Ely Martinez emartinez@depelchin.org site: www.depelchin.org
Information meetings are flexible based on family’s schedules.

Special Delivery Infant Adoption Agency
4630 50th Street Suite 108
Lubbock, TX 79414
(806) 793 Special -1115
Contact: Ashley Ingram ashely@specialdeliveryatoptions.org
Spring Adoptive Couple Training: April 30, 2016

Texas Boys Ranch
4810 N County Rd 2800
Lubbock, TX 79403
(806) 747 – 3187
Contact: Angela Skorick askorick@texasboysranch.org
Information meetings are flexible based on the family’s schedule

Upbring
7412 S. University Avenue
Lubbock, TX 79423
(806) 783 – 8863
Contact: Lacy Carr lacy.carr@upbring.org