Black foster care parents needed in Florida

(miamiherald.com) Phyllis Horn says her house became a home seven years ago when she opened her large Homestead residence to her first foster son.

Since then, the mother of three adult sons has given short- and long-term shelter to 25 boys.

”These children make the difference between a house and a home,” Horn said.

The private foster-care agency that placed the young men with Horn hopes to find other black residents in South Miami-Dade with that kind of attitude.

Faced with a steady caseload of black children under state care and a smaller pool of qualified black families to provide homes, Kids Hope United is starting a publicity campaign to attract more people like Horn.

The agency, which serves the South Miami-Dade area, has hired a public relations firm to make pitches at community festivals and in local media. Ads also were placed at South Dade bus stops in African-American neighborhoods and will remain up for the next six months. This week, public service radio announcements started on popular oldies station Majic 103.7 FM.

Agency administrators say their primary concern is that the children are placed into a safe foster environment. Emilio Vento, a senior vice president with Kids Hope United, said cultural sensitivity is also taken into consideration.

”The children we place have gone through recent traumatic experience,” Vento said. “The environment we put them in affects everything they do. That’s why the match is extremely important.”

In Florida, black youths make up 37 percent of the foster care population. According to state figures, Kids Hope United has about 142 foster homes that provide about 385 beds. But only about 33 percent of those beds — 127 — are in African-American homes. The placement agency has 487 African-American children in its care — a difference of 360 beds. (more…)