by Molly Oleson
The season of giving may be over, but there are children in Marin who didn’t get what they had hoped for: a stable, loving home. Experiencing a shortage of temporary foster homes for the county’s most vulnerable kids, the Marin County Health and Human Services (HHS) Department has put a call out to residents interested in foster parenting.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7 in San Rafael, the HHS Children and Family Services Division will be offering an orientation, during which residents can learn about what the temporary care of boys and girls of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds entails, and ask a social worker and experienced foster parent questions about the application and training process.
Typically providing a home for six to 12 months, foster parents may be of any adult age, of any sexual orientation and be single or part of a couple—married or not. Especially needed are foster families who can care for siblings who do not wish to be separated.
The children “have experienced separation and the effects of abuse and neglect,” according to a press release. But “are still growing and learning and can blossom in a family able to offer them safety.”
The orientation will take place from 7-8:30pm on Wednesday, Jan. 7 in room 107 of the Marin Health and Wellness Campus, 3250 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael. For more information, visit www.marinhhs.org/foster-care, or call Cindy Wasserman at 415/473-5028.
