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The staff is so
professional, says Reese, that the leadership transition
“has been easy.” That is the transition, though not
permanent yet, from the long-time leadership of previous
Executive Director Dean Sparks to Reese’s. Reese had been an
associate director prior to being given a contract as the
interim executive director.
Now for the bad news. The
agency has about 400 children in their care with a need for
foster homes and 165 such homes. That figure of 165 is down
nearly 50 percent from a couple of years ago. “We have
stretched our foster homes to the limit,” says Reese.
According to data
available for the first three quarters of 2015, the agency
expects to have a nearly 25 percent of children entering
agency custody compared to a 12 percent increase in 2014.
So the search is on for
additional foster homes particularly in the inner city’s
43607 zip code area where the number of children in agency
custody is so high.
“We want these children to
stay in the same neighborhoods and in the same schools,”
says Reese explaining the benefits of stability in light of
the challenges presented by clients with unstable family
situations.
Among the biggest
challenges for the agency are those in its custody who have
mental health issues and substance abuse issues. Many
clients have both issues, of course.
Moving forward, the
leadership of LCCS intends to become even more engaged with
the community it serves. “We are intent on building stronger
collaboration with the community,” says Reese. “We now lead
that effort but we need community support. We want to
maintain a high-level professional staff and we want to
build an array of services for relatives who have taken in
children.”
LCCS, whose annual budget
is approximately $41 million, spends a large chunk of those
funds on personnel and placement. While finding foster homes
is a primary goal for the agency, locating homes for
adoption is also part of the LCCS mission.
“We are still in need of
families,” says Reese “and our adoption numbers are down.”
Currently there are
between 40-50 kids in need of adoption, many of whom are
difficult to place because they are teens, or are part of
sibling groups or have special needs.
As 2016 approaches, LCCS
will be placing a levy on the ballot for Lucas County voters
in order to help the agency address the shortcomings in
services the staff feels are necessary for children in the
area. “Without a levy we are reduced to simply making home
visits,” says Reese. “We have to be in a position to provide
services. We want to be case managers. We want to be case
workers.” |
