CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- One of Illinois’ largest social service agencies is facing a shortage of foster parents, and it needs at least 20 families to step up.
It is another casualty of COVID: Foster parents have been in greater demand since the pandemic began.
“We’ve seen a 33 percent increase in our referrals," said Jamal Malone, CEO of Chicago-based Ada S. McKinley Community Services.
And when he said there’s been an increase in referrals, that means that since the pandemic started, there’s been that much greater demand to place children in foster homes.
“That’s juxtaposed with available foster care parents coming into the pipeline," Malone said.
He said he is finding it difficult to keep up with the demand and finding enough people who are willing to open their homes to foster children.
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“And there’s an apprehension right now, especially - understandably - with COVID-19. But we want people to know that we’ve taken the right precautions and we’ve taken the right procedures in order to provide the most safe and healthy experience for foster care parents," Malone said.
Ada S. McKinley Community Services works with about 50 families who are licensed as foster families. Officials say 80 percent of those families are already at capacity, and at least 20 more families are needed.