SAN ANTONIO — The race is on to find temporary housing for San Antonio kids in foster care after a local shelter was given until close of business on Monday to remove everyone from the home.
The 66-bed emergency care center known as the Cottage at the Children’s Shelter is being closed – for now – after the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services put a placement hold on the facility.
Shelter officials say the center originally designed to serve young children and sibling groups has been challenged by large numbers of older youth needing placement.
While the shelter works to adjust to changing needs, other nonprofits are stepping up to help make sure the kids remain safe.
“The children need us all to work together. It’s as simple as that, frankly, and it is the end goal is to get these children to safe places, cared for safely, whether that’s back with family, with foster parents, with adoptive parents," said Angela White, president and CEP of Child Advocates of San Antonio (CASA). "I’m a foster child. I know that’s the need."
White said CASA is among the community groups working with the Children’s Shelter on finding solutions.
The Cottage’s sudden closure impacts 26 children who are also served by CASA.
“Our team here reached out to the advocates of those children, so those children know our advocates, know what’s happening with them, their advocates know what’s happening with them. That gives the children some level of security to know that person (who is) staying with them throughout this journey is still there and is aware of the situation,” White said.
White is confident the Children’s Shelter can ultimately resolve the issue, but she is asking the community at large to step up.
“I think San Antonians, we need more foster parents, we need more community-based care for these children, so we need people to open their doors, to love on these children,” White said.
Annette Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Children's Shelter, released this statement in response to the facility's closure:
“The Emergency Shelter, referred to as the Cottage, has been put on Placement Hold by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Our facilities, staff and trauma-informed care model was originally designed to serve young children and sibling groups. Due to the capacity crisis, we are facing across the state, the Emergency Shelter has tried to provide care and accommodations for much older youth which is difficult to do at the Cottage.
"We are working with our network of providers to move all children to other placements by close of business Monday. We believe this is the best course of action for all.
"To provide a scale of the capacity crisis in our state, Texas has lost more than 1,000 residential treatment center beds for higher acuity youth in the past 12 months, which 475 beds were lost under the Family Tapestry network.
"The Children’s Shelter is a family of services, which include integrated, outpatient mental healthcare and family support services for children, youth, young adults, and caregivers; therapeutic foster care; and primary and secondary prevention programs that work to address intergenerational trauma; and medical and dental care for children and youth in the foster care system. We will continue to live our mission through our family of services and work diligently to determine the best way to serve them.”