Wake County houses foster teens in office building: 'Desperately need' families
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County is housing teenagers in foster care inside a county office building because there are not enough foster homes and residential placements available, according to county officials.
The building, near WakeMed, is serving as temporary housing for as many as 20 to 25 teenagers at a time. The youth are living together in office space set aside for them, where they sleep, shower and eat while county workers continue conducting other government business in the building.
It's very hard ... to have children sleeping in an office building. And it's not the purpose of foster care.- Sheila Donaldson, Wake County Social Services
In a one-on-one interview with ABC11 anchor Steve Daniels, Sheila Donaldson, deputy director of social services in Wake County, said the situation reflects broader challenges facing the foster care system.
"It is very hard. You know, I've been doing this 30 years, to have children sleeping in an office building. And it's not the purpose of foster care," Donaldson said.
She added: "When you get into this field, it's to help children thrive and change the course of their life to be better. This isn't what you imagine when you get into this field."
Donaldson said the shortage of placements has developed since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the county, the number of foster families has been cut in half since before the pandemic. Staffing shortages at group homes have also reduced the number of beds available in residential facilities.
The effects of the situation vary from child to child, Donaldson said.
"Every child is different and what they have been through is different," she said. "The mere fact of being separated from your family, even if it was for their safety, can be quite traumatic. Some of them have experienced challenging and traumatic things on top of that. So because of that, some children like being here, and some don't."
'Urgent call for foster families
Wake County officials are calling on more residents to consider becoming foster parents.
"What I need from this community is to really get down deep inside and really think about becoming a foster parent. We desperately need foster families," Donaldson said.
She also urged people to consider "providing that stable family setting for a youth."
While the county seeks more foster families, community organizations have stepped in to help support teens staying in the office building.
"We have received things like assistance with their laundry," Donaldson said. "We've had people give backpacks. There's been a group that has provided special meals on the holidays. Another group provided special sheets for the kids."
She added, "It's really been beautiful to see the giving part of this community."
Investing in the future
Donaldson said the stakes are high for young people who leave foster care without long-term support systems.
"When children age out of foster care, without that stable caregiver or person to make a connection for a lifetime, that increases their probability of entering the justice system, homelessness, substance abuse," she said.
Asked whether failing to invest in foster youth could create long-term costs for society, Donaldson responded: "Yes, yes, we'll see these children as adults in our government system again, if they do not get help and support from the community."
At last check, Wake County had 539 children in foster care and 76 foster homes licensed and monitored by the county.
Donaldson said preventing children from entering foster care begins with helping families before situations reach the point where social workers must remove children from their homes. She said investing in families during times of struggle can help keep children safely with their families and reduce the need for foster care placements.
