LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There's a foster care crisis in Clark County, as far too many kids needing care crowd shelters while not nearly enough foster parents are stepping up to the plate.
This summer, Child Haven, the county's foster shelter, has averaged about one hundred children a day.
Channel 13's Bryan Horwath went inside the shelter to see first-hand how officials are working to combat the foster parent shortage and how you can help.
On a recent afternoon, a group of young boys kicked a soccer ball around in a courtyard area at Clark County's Child Haven Shelter for Children. Inside, younger children got ready for an afternoon nap or waited for a snack.
They're all waiting for a new state and a forever home. But here in Southern Nevada, there are too few foster parents to go around.
"Right now, we have an extreme need for foster homes," said Patrick Barkley, the Deputy Director for Clark County Family Services.
He says there are about 350 foster homes right now in the Las Vegas valley, but the need is for double that.
"We need homes of every sort, for sibling groups, for special needs kids, teenagers," he said. "Pretty much any child that you could think of."
Most in the system have been through some type of extreme trauma, Barkley says, so it's important that they find a stable home as soon as possible.
A home like the one Katie Krikorian has provided for the past three years to a total of nine foster children.
"We started foster care during COVID-19," she said. "We were home, we had the availability and it's something that has always been in our hearts."
It was during the height of the pandemic that fewer people wanted to take outside children into their homes, but the stream of foster children didn't change.
Earlier this month, Jill Marano, Director of Family Services, presented to county commissioners, a new report illustrating just how dire the situation is.
"On Child Haven campus, there's a range, children can be there anywhere from one day to six months," she said. "We have one child, unfortunately, who's been there about a year."
In that report, it was noted that more than 70 foster homes are needed for children up to seven years of age. Krikorian's message to those with the means to help.
"Say yes and keep saying yes and your life will change in ways you can't possibly imagine," she said.
County officials tell Channel 13 that more awareness about the problem will likely lead to more foster care parents signing up for the program.
