TUCSON, AZ — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is increasing the daily rate for foster families by 50% as the state faces a declining number of foster homes and a growing need for child placements.
The increase affects licensed foster homes caring for children ages 6 and older. Depending on the level of care a child needs, payments could rise from an average of $1,000 to $1,700 per month per child.
Arizona currently has about 7,600 children in foster care, but only about 3,000 licensed foster families, according to the Department of Child Safety.
Hobbs' goal is to recruit and retain more foster families while reducing the use of group homes, which she said cost the state significantly more and don't offer the same stability as family homes.
Desirae Parker-Willis, a foster parent who is about to adopt the boy she fosters, has experienced the financial challenges firsthand. She recently cut her work hours to spend more time with her son.
"We really had to budget. We really had to cut back on things," Parker-Willis said.
She has received between about $600 to $1,100 to foster her son. The increased payments, she said, will help provide stability.
"We can still give the experiences we want to give. We can be able to provide a sense of normalcy," Parker-Willis said.
Parker-Willis was adopted by her teacher when she was 7 after being in foster care herself. The positive experience inspired her to work for GAP Ministries, an organization that helps families get licensed to foster.
"I knew from a really young age that I wanted to foster other kids," Parker-Willis said. "I knew I wanted to be able to carry on that good experience to another generation of kids."
Sam Dyer, executive director of StepStone Family and Youth Services, a foster care organization, said the financial incentive could help address the shortage.
"It's a way to try to correct that so that everybody's not saying I could barely make it myself, much less take another child," Dyer said.
Typically, Dyer said their organizations see an increase in inquiries between the end of November and December, but he said they haven't seen that uptick this year.
Parker-Willis is encouraging others to consider fostering despite the challenges.
"Take that leap, be brave. We need brave people because we do not have enough homes," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
