Union County recruiting foster families to meet desperate need for kids

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A foster mom in Union County is trying to recruit more people to open their homes to foster kids, as the county is in desperate need.

There are only 46 foster homes in Union County with around 150 kids in the system. Channel 9’s Gina Esposito learned that at least one child in the last year and a half had to sleep inside a county building because there wasn’t an available foster home.

County officials say they need more foster parents like Roseanna Caldeira.

“I currently have six children, they range in age from two-and-a-half months old to 17. My older five are all adopted, my youngest is foster; I love them to death,” Caldeira told Esposito.

The Waxhaw foster mother says her mom and grandmother are also foster parents. For her, it was a way to give back.

“We want them to know that they’re wanted, loved, cared for, and gie them that stability that kids really, really need,” Caldeira said.

Union County has 137 kids in foster care, but fewer than 50 foster families. The county is working to recruit because it’s become a challenge to place kids.

“If we could just increase the number by 20 or 25 families, I think we would be in a much better situation in Union County,” said Ashley Lantz, director of the Department of Social Services in Union County.

Lantz is also a mom to two kids, and a former foster parent.

“Once I adopted them, I decided I didn’t want to foster anymore, and that was OK. That’s why we are constantly recruiting new foster families, because lives change,” Lantz said.

Caldeira says it’s hard ot let a child go if and when they are reunited with their birth family, but she says the impact you can make is worth it.

“I always hear, ‘I’ve always thought about foster, I’m single, I don’t think I can’ ... there is nothing stopping you, if you ever had on your heart to do it, do it, because the need is really great,” Caldeira said.

The process to become a foster parent can take about six months. The county requires background checks, foster parent training, and a home visit to ensure it meets the needs of the child. You can find more details about becoming a foster parent at this link.

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