Teen Center Event Addresses Lack of Brookline Foster Homes

Brookline residents who are looking to give back can do so in a big way by becoming a foster parent. The Brookline Teen Center will host an informational presentation for town residents interested in foster parenting on June 14 at 6:30 pm. This event will also feature representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Family Services (DCF), as well as former city councilor Tito Jackson, who was adopted by a foster family himself as a child, to educate residents more on how they can become involved.
Presently, there are only nine foster families in Brookline according to the DCF. Why is the number so low? Paul Epstein, a Brookline High School social worker, believes that there is merely a lack of awareness around the foster care system, not just in Brookline but everywhere. Laurie Gidharry, a foster parent recruiter for DCF, explains that there was not a robust recruiting system in place, whereas there are now 15 foster parent recruiters, including Gidharry, who are working to spread awareness and recruit more volunteers into the system. Many factors land children in the foster care system such as the current opioid crisis, domestic abuse, mental health crises, drugs, and alcohol.

As the primary point person for this event, Epstein hopes that they can address head-on the many negative stereotypes about children in foster care, mainly that they will introduce a myriad of behavioral issues and chaos in the home. Both Epstein and Gidharry acknowledge that all foster children experience a degree of trauma when they are removed from their original homes but an extensive and supportive foster care network can cushion this trauma.

“Kids in the foster care system have to move from home to home to home and part of the reason is there’s just not enough homes in the area,” says Epstein.

More foster homes in the area would mean more stability for children in the system. Gidharry also hopes to appeal the basic empathy of the community at this event. “No kid is perfect,” Gidharry said. “No person is perfect but with the right understanding, nurturing and guidance — that’s immeasurable. We can’t replace giving children that opportunity, and we’re there to support foster parents when bumps in the road happen. Bumps happen in intact families. Our job is to help foster families reduce those bumps and get through those bumps.”

Gidharry and Andrea Grossman, DCF director of communications, point to a wealth of resources foster parents have available to them including an assigned caseworker, ongoing training, workshops that address common challenges such as newborn care and behavioral issues and a 24/7 hotline for emergencies. Massachusetts DCF also partners with other local establishments such as the YMCA and the Museum of Science that provides additional programming and learning opportunities for foster children.

Epstein emphasizes that he has seen first-hand how good people who step-up as foster parents can be significant changemakers. “I’ve seen the life-changing effects for these kids of having a stable home offered to them,” he said. “A big gift to give to them is continuity. One can assume that a child in the foster care system has already experienced a significant level of disruption in their lives and that can have severe ramifications on their development. To get a foster home where a family can offer stability over time is a huge, huge positive in that kid’s life and can counteract the negative impacts of the disruption.”

Epstein also hopes that attendees walk away knowing that many different types of individuals can be a foster parent, not just those in traditional two-parent, nuclear setups. “You can be a renter,” he said. “You can be a single person. You can be married. You can have children. You can be childless. You can be 28. You can be 69.” The need applies to children of all ages from infants to late teens, and there are many different ways people can help, ranging from hosting a foster child for just one night to some years. “There’s no one way to help,” Epstein emphasizes. Despite what the currently low numbers may illustrate, Epstein and DCF are putting a lot of stock in this fast-approaching event. “There may not be as much awareness in this area,” he said. “This event has a goal of spreading awareness first, and we’re rolling the dice and optimistically having faith in the people here that once they know the need is here, they will step up and help.”

By Alicia Landsberg

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