Foster Care Homes for Babies in Short Supply
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Contra Costa County has run out of foster care homes for young children, raising concerns about what to do with the next infant who needs a place to go.
The child might have to be sent to another county, officials warned. “We’re really facing a shortage,” said Linda Canan, the county’s child welfare manager.
The crisis has been fueled by a loss of long-term caregivers who have either retired or moved away. About 2,000 children are in foster care in Contra Costa County at any given time. About 15% -- or 300 -- are infants and toddlers younger than 2.
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