WINNIPEG — A woman who has fostered children for years has strong doubts Child and Family Services will be able to eliminate the use of hotels to house children in care.
“I really, from the bottom of my heart, feel that it’s not going to happen,” said the woman, who has asked not to be identified. “We do not have enough foster parents, we absolutely do not have enough foster parents.”
She says she has noticed some children in CFS care are getting more violent at a younger age. She opens her home because she feels the good she does outweighs the stress and frustration she faces on a daily basis.
She says true change can only come when the different CFS agencies amalgamate or share resources.
“Kids in Manitoba should be able to go to any foster home in Manitoba if there is room and that would help to eliminate hotels a lot better,” she told Global News.
She also says children shouldn’t be placed in downtown Winnipeg where there are so many distractions. For children who are high risk, she would like to see a facility build outside of the city with strong supervision.
“I know most people might say that’s harsh, you can’t put children in jail and I am not for that either but if kids are running away and getting hurt and murdered at what point as adults can we step in and say we have to keep these kids safe?” she said.
Kerri Irvin-Ross, Manitoba’s Family Services minister, provided few details for how the province will stop the long time hotel practice.
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She did say Marymound will help.
The youth service provider says it is at capacity right now but is in the process of creating a six bed residential care unit for high risk girls.
“They are on the run, often living on the street and what we really want to do is provide them with easy access with clinical supports,” said Jay Rodgers, Marymound’s CEO.
It is set to open in September and phase two of the project is still in need of millions in funding. Donations are being collected to make the full program a reality.
Numbers provided from the province show there were 23 children housed in hotels last month. In the past year the number peaked at 56 in June 2014.
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