CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Foster care agency officials say teenagers are the most in need of foster homes in Clarksville as local placements continue to fall short.

StepStone Family and Youth Services, which operates an office at 211 Dunbar Cave Road, works with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to place children in foster homes across Middle Tennessee.

“We have a desperate need,” said Karissa Perry, Middle Tennessee recruitment manager for StepStone. “It takes a very special person and a very special heart to even get into foster care.”

Perry estimates about 8,000 children statewide are currently in need of foster placements. “The Ryman Auditorium seats 2,400 people,” she said. “You could fill the Ryman Auditorium almost four times with how many kids need homes in Tennessee. And unfortunately, we just do not have the home availability and the capacity.”

Teenagers face the greatest shortage

While many prospective foster parents hope to care for infants or young children, officials say teenagers, sibling groups and children with emotional or behavioral needs face the greatest shortage of available homes.

“In the Clarksville-area, there’s a significant need for foster homes – especially for teens, sibling groups and youth with hard behaviors or emotional needs,” said Brianna Jones, a StepStone case manager. “Many placements are limited.”

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Jones said her role centers on long-term stability. “My focus is always on safety, stability and helping youth move on to permanency,” she said.

For teens in particular, Perry said fostering often looks different than people expect. “You’re not going to be changing diapers or teaching them how to read,” she said. “But you are going to teach them about getting their first job, opening a bank account – job applications and college applications.”

Jones said trust is often the foundation of successful teen placements. “Building that trust goes a long way,” she said.

She recently worked with a teenager who was adopted after initially struggling in placement. “At first it was kind of rocky, but she gained that trust within the home and their relationship is great now,” Jones said.

Impact of limited placement

When there are not enough foster homes available locally, children may be placed outside of Clarksville.

Jones said some youth must commute from another city back to Clarksville to attend school. Others experience multiple moves when appropriate homes are not available. “It adds more to that trauma,” she said.

Limited options can also mean children are placed in homes that are not the best fit for their needs, according to Perry. When placements are scarce, some children may remain in residential facilities or, in some cases, sleep in DCS offices or hotel rooms under supervision.

Perry added that keeping children close to their community is critical. “The more local that we can keep that child, the more familiar their surroundings are,” she said. “The least we can shake up their foundations, the better it is for the outcome of that child.”

She described an exercise used in training to illustrate the experience of removal, where strings representing a child’s connections – family, school, friends and community – are cut one by one. “They’re completely removed from their entire world,” Perry said.

Requirements and support

To foster through DCS, individuals must be at least 21 years old. StepStone requires foster parents to be at least 25. Two-parent households are not required, and renters are eligible. “You have to have a stable home. You have to have income stability as well,” Perry said.

Foster parents receive a stipend to help offset expenses, though applicants must demonstrate financial stability independently. Background checks and home visits are required.

StepStone provides mandatory training through the state’s TN-KEY program, totaling about 27 hours. Training includes virtual coursework, trauma-informed parenting strategies, medication management resources and an in-person CPR class.

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There is no cost to become a foster parent beyond preparing a home to meet safety requirements, Perry said.

Once a child is placed, case managers conduct at least one home visit each month, along with additional in-person check-ins. Program managers and a therapist are also available to support youth and families.

“Increasing the number of trained, supportive foster families will improve placement, stability and outcomes for youth,” Jones said.

A call to Clarksville families

Jones encourages residents who may be hesitant about fostering teens to reconsider. “Give it a try,” she said. “You just have to build that rapport and that trust.”

Perry emphasized even one supportive adult can change a child’s trajectory. “All it takes is for somebody to believe in these kids, and it changes their entire lives,” she said.

She added that fostering is not the only way to support children in care. “Even if you cannot become a foster parent yourself, I would just recommend becoming knowledgeable about this system, about the need and about the support we can give to families to keep them from even entering the system,” Perry said. “And if we can’t prevent, how can we support?”

StepStone will host a virtual town hall for current foster families on Feb. 26. The agency also offers virtual orientations for those interested in becoming foster parents. More information is available through StepStone’s website.

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