Foster care shortage forcing children out of county

RUSSELLVILLE — A shortage of foster homes in Franklin County is forcing children to be placed in homes throughout Alabama, increasing travel demands on case workers, separating siblings, and disconnecting children from their communities.

Foster Care Supervisor Leah Yocum said Franklin County currently has 59 children in foster care. She said about 30 of those children are currently placed outside Franklin County because of a shortage of local foster homes.

“We have very longdistance drives,” Yocum said. “We’ve had to split siblings up, and we do not like to do that.”

The county usually averages around 72 children in care, though recent adoptions lowered the current number, Yocum said. Placements have become more difficult over the past several years.

“Ten years ago, we might have had three kids placed out of county,” Yocum said.

This year, Franklin children have been placed in Mobile, Montgomery, Madison County and Tallapoosa County.

“In 2025, we had 11 children adopted,” Yocum said. “Eight of those children were from three different families – two sets of three siblings and one set of two siblings who were adopted together.”

Franklin has had three children adopted so far this year, but Yokum said two others could be adopted within a month.

Yocum said the county currently has access to 24 licensed foster homes, and eight of those are physically located outside Franklin County.

Only three of the licensed homes are currently full, but many foster families are unable or unwilling to take additional children because of time demands or the needs of children already in their homes.

“We would like to have at least 10 new foster homes in our county,” she said.

Franklin County currently has three foster care workers with two often spending multiple days each week traveling for visits out of county, Yocum said.

“Sometimes it’s even 5 p.m. before a foster parent gets home for the worker to even see the child in the home,” Yocum said. “Well, then they’re driving back, getting home at midnight sometimes.”

She said children placed outside the county often lose connections to their schools, friends and support systems.

“A lot of them are experiencing grief and loss just from losing their home, losing their family, their sibling groups and their community,” Yocum said.

Licensure worker Caitlin Moore said many children enter homes where they know no one.

“A lot of kids don’t know anybody,” Moore said. “They just kind of know the worker for maybe a day or two.”

Yocum said teenagers are among the most difficult to place because many foster parents prefer younger children or babies.

“They just need someone to provide them with a bed and be there for a mentor,” Yocum said. “Most of our teenagers are not that bad of children. It is just they’ve never had anybody to invest in them.”

Moore said inquiries about foster parenting have decreased in recent years. She estimated Franklin County now receives roughly one inquiry every two weeks, though many people never complete the application process.

Yocum said the licensing process includes background checks, training classes, and medical screenings. The required foster parent training lasts 12 weeks.

Applicants must be at least 19 years old and able to provide a separate bedroom for foster children. The bedroom must have a window.

Yocum said children entering care often need immediate supplies including diapers, wipes, formulas for babies, clothing, and food.

Workers sometimes purchase meals for children during family visitation periods and later seek reimbursement, Moore said. She said DHR accepts donations including diapers, wipes, gifts for birthdays, and gift cards for meals and necessities.