LEE COUNTY, Fla., - A major shortage of foster families in Southwest Florida is leaving dozens of children without a home. The Children's Network of Southwest Florida, an organization that works with struggling families, is desperately seeking loving homes for foster kids.
"We have kids arriving every day. Today we'll have 5,10,15,20 kids coming into this system, this community today that need a foster parent now," said Chris Card, President of the Lutheran Services Florida.
Right now, there is space for 713 foster kids in Southwest Florida. Dozens more are without a family, forced to stay in emergency shelters.
"Shelters are only supposed to be up to 30 days but we have kids that will stay for months because we're trying to find another placement for them," said Card.
Card says the biggest contributing factor in why more and more kids are being taken from their homes is substance abuse, then mental health and domestic violence.
"The impact that you can have in a relatively short period of time in that child's life is magnified greatly," Card said.
"We treat them as if they were ours and showed them love because they need that," said Janine Burns, a foster parent for the past four years. "If your heart strings have been pulled a little bit, maybe you are the one that needs to step up," she added.
For more information on how you can be a foster parent, visit, childnetswfl.org
