To help people get started down that path, they are holding an informational session on July 9th at Vibe Coffee house called “Fostering the Future: Your Road to Foster Parenting Starts Here.” The session will give people the chance to ask questions about being foster parents from the children's services recruitment team and from foster parents themselves.
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Two Lima Senior students in foster care team up to donate to the Early Childhood Program at their school. 17-year-old Miracle Manuel created program “Miracles from Miracle” as a way to help other foster kids get some of the things they want, but maybe can’t afford. Through her own business, she was able to raise and give out $250. Her adopted mom has another program that kicked in an additional $250. They contacted Allen County Children Services to find students that could use the money. Manuel picked William Elrod, who in turn donated the money to his program at Lima Senior.
The number of children being served by Allen County Children Services due to neglect and abuse reports has drastically increased with the opioid epidemic. Allen County Family and Children First Council hearing some updated numbers of children being served in recent years. In 2012 330 children were in "out of home placement". In 2016 it hit an all-time high at 555 children and in 2018 it has come down slightly to 498 children in “out of home placement”. Along with higher numbers, the cost to place them nearly doubled to $2.6 million dollars in 2016. Agency officials say the day and age of working independently to serve the children is gone and working together is what's needed.
It's been supporting and protecting Allen County children for more than three decades and officials hope voters will once again say yes this November to continue their funding. This fall, a renewal levy will be on the ballot for Allen County Children Services. The renewal levy is a .75 mills property tax that was first passed in 1985. As a renewal it means no new taxes for residents. The money raised will go to daily operations to provide the necessary support for child welfare.