As the flood waters approach, I know that there are many adults thinking “am I going to have a home?”

Imagine being a child and not knowing where your home will be. Imagine not knowing, where you will lay your head tonight. In America today, there are nearly 424,000 children who are currently in foster care.

In the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Family & Children’s Services, Region V-West, which includes the counties of Adams, Jefferson, Claiborne, Wilkinson, Franklin, Amite, Pike and Walthall, there are almost 200 children in foster care. These children all deserve a safe place to call home.

May is National Foster Care Month which is an opportunity to shine a light on the children who have been served in foster care. This month also recognizes the foster parents who have provided a safe and loving environment to these children whose own families are in crisis and are temporarily unable to care for them.

Children come into foster care through no fault of their own. There is a multitude of challenges faced by today’s families which result in the need for children to be placed into foster homes. Some of the reasons children are in need of foster homes are physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Other reasons can be physical, medical or educational neglect, incarceration of a parent or abandonment.

Most of these children are school age children. They come from different economic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Many of these children are brothers and sisters and in most cases want to be kept together so that they don’t lose their bond with each other.

All of these children have a need to be happy, secure and loved.

On behalf of the children who are in foster care, the staff of the Mississippi Department of Human Services would like to thank the individuals and families who have opened their hearts and homes to these children. Without your love and support Mississippi would not be able to serve the vast majority of these children in family settings. Because of you, the needs of these children are being met until they can either return to their parents or achieve another permanent connection with a loving adult. We applaud your caring commitment and continuing love and support for children. You are precious jewels. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Unfortunately, there are more children in need of care than there are foster parents available. If you are interested in becoming a licensed foster (resource) parent please call me or any other resource specialist at 601-442-7031.

Katie Foster is the resource specialist for the divison of Family and Children’s Services Region V-West-Adams County.