In North Carolina, there are now over 3,000 more children in foster care than there were in 2011. While the number of children coming into care is rapidly increasing, the number of available foster homes is decreasing.
We need your help to secure funding in the Senate budget for House Bill 580/Senate Bill 636 to increase the reimbursement rate of foster families! This bill also includes an administrative increase for agencies to recruit and retain foster families.
PLEASE call, email or write the Senators below (especially the ones in your district!) who will be responsible for making the Senate budget and ask them to include $6.8 million in fiscal year 2020-2021. Email or write the Senators using the contact information below. Post on your social media multiple times - we need to make this bill go viral in NC!!!
Bullet talking points are below (also see attached one page talking points):
For children in foster care, the state is the responsible parent and is obligated to meet the needs of our children.
No increase in the reimbursement rate for over a decade.
Reimbursement rate doesn't even cover the cost of the child but helps tremendously!
We pay more to board a dog per day in NC than we currently pay to care for our children in foster care.
There has been a 27% increase since 2011 of youth coming into care but the number of foster homes has decreased during that time. We need safe and stable homes for our children in care.
A new federal law called Families First will go into effect in 2021 which will limit funding for any alternative to foster family placement, thus requiring the need for more foster families.
**Please make the "ask" your own by telling them in your own words how important this increase is for the care and well-being of our youth in care.
Senator Dan Bishop
District: Mecklenburg
919-733-5655
16 West Jones Street
Room 2108
Raleigh NC 27601
Senator Joyce Kraweic
Districts: Davie Forsyth
919-733-7850
300 N. Salisbury Street
Room 308
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Jim Burgin
Districts: Harnett, Johnston, Lee
919-733-5748
16 West Jones Street
Room 2113
Raleigh, NC 27601
Senator Ralph Hise
Districts: Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk,
Rutherford, Yancy
919-733-3460
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 300-A
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Jim Perry
Districts: Lenoir, Wayne
919-733-5621
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 311
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Harry Brown
Districts: Jones, Onslow
919-715-3034
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 300-B
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Kathy Harrington
District: Gaston
919-733-5734
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 300-C
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Brent Jackson
Districts: Duplin, Johnston, Sampson
919-733-5705
16 West Jones Street
Room 2022
Raleigh, NC 27601
Senator Deanna Ballard
Districts: Alleghany, Ashe, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes
919-733-5742
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 521
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Rick Gunn
Districts: Alamance, Guilford
919-301-1446
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 314
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Bill Rabon
Districts: Bladen, Brunswick, New Hanover
919-733-5963
16 West Jones Street
Room 2010
Raleigh, NC 27601
Senator Jerry Tillman
Districts: Guilford, Randolph
919-733-5870
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 309
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Jim Davis
Districts: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood
Jackson, Macon, Swain
919-733-5875
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 621
Raleigh, NC 27603
Senator Danny Britt
Districts: Columbus, Robeson
919-733-5651
300 N Salisbury Street
Room 525
Raleigh, NC 27603