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Big drop in foster homes in Alameda County

Chris Metinko, CORRESPONDENT
OAKLAND TRIBUNE

Article Created: 05/12/2009 04:40:38 PM PDT

Allen and Paulette Gilkerson weren't sure if foster parenting was right for them.

The Hayward couple already had three children, and thought their days of changing diapers and chasing toddlers were long gone.

However, some friends of the couple had become foster parents and told the Gilkersons to look into it. The couple thought about it and decided it wouldn't hurt to inquire about the process.

"You never really know until you take that first step to find out," Paulette said.

That was nearly 21 years — and 101 foster children — ago.

"My husband and I joke God's going to keep giving us children until we learn how to do it right," Paulette said, laughing. "I guess we're slow learning."

Gilkerson was among the foster parents and youths, social service officials and faith leaders that gathered at City Hall in Oakland on Tuesday to commemorate May being National Foster Care Month and spotlight the need for more people willing to be like the Gilkersons.

"We always need more foster parents," said Sylvia Soublet, spokeswoman for the Alameda County Social Services Agency, which helped sponsor Tuesday's event. "It is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year recruitment effort."

Just 10 years ago there were nearly 1,000 foster homes in the county, Soublet said.

Today that number has dwindled to about 200, she said.

The agency asked UC Berkeley to look into the reasons why recruitment of foster parents is so tough, she said. The study identified the biggest obstacles as the high cost of living in the Bay Area and the low compensation offered to those who take in foster kids.

Foster parents in the county receive an average of $425 to $627 per child per month, officials said.

Along with the dwindling allotment of foster parents, the past 10 years has seen the county's Department of Children and Family Services reduce its foster care caseload from 5,000 to approximately 2,200, officials said.

Also on Tuesday, the county and the group Family Builders were each honored in Sacramento for the success of their Dumisha Jamaa Project, which promotes the adoption of older youths, who normally are adopted less quickly than younger children.

The Gilkersons — who have adopted four of their 101 foster children and who mainly help foster children with health and drug-related issues from birth — said they understand foster parenting is hard and not for everyone.

"It's difficult," said Paulette, who, along with her husband, currently is fostering one infant. "It's a challenge. But it's very fulfilling.

"If your heart starts beating a little faster when you hear about foster parenting, you should at least look into it," Paulette said.

Even if you don't get to 101 children.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming an foster or adoptive parent, contact (510) 259-3575 or http://www.pathwaytohome.org in Alameda County.

In Contra Costa County, call toll free (866) 313-7788 or (925) 335-7089 or visit http://www.ehsd.org.