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Bethany Christian says need for foster parents continues beyond border crisis

Bethany's Kathy Van Oss said they have at least 30 children on a waiting list for placement in temporary foster homes.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The number of families interested in fostering refugee children through Bethany Christian Services dropped from over a thousand to a little more than dozen, within a month.

Our partners at the Detroit Free Press reported that more than 1,200 people reached out to Bethany Christian Services about fostering. The Free Press spoke to several organizations about the outpour of support that came as a result of the border crisis. Many families reached out in hopes of providing a temporary home for the children who were forcibly separated from their parents under zero tolerance.

Bethany Christian Services said they only have 14 people who are going through the licensing process of becoming foster parents.

"A lot of people wanted to provide a home for the children who were separated at the border, and we made it very clear that those children are no longer being separated," said Kathy Van Oss, LMSW, Refugee Foster Care Licensing Supervisor at Bethany Christian Services. "Therefore, we do not need families for those children, but we do need families for other children that we receive on a daily basis."

Van Oss said they have at least 30 kids on their waitlist, currently. The need for foster parents is by no means diminished in Michigan.

As of July, there were more than 400 unaccompanied refugee children in Michigan foster care, according to Bob Wheaton, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Health and Human Services.

Van Oss stressed that becoming a foster parent is a long term commitment and requires pre licensing training. Most children who Bethany works with are between 14 and 17 years old and have experienced quite a bit of trauma in their home country.

Money provided to families with a foster child varies based on their home country, but it typically works out to be between $20-24 per day. Families also receive a clothing allowance when the child first arrives and then a smaller clothing allowance bi-annually. Of the monthly sum, the child gets a $40 allowance and $50 toward their saving account, which can be accessed once they turn 18.

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Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email enicolas@wzzm13.com, Facebook or Twitter.

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