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Legislature approves $25,000 OCFS grant to support foster and guardianship placements
Summary
The committee approved a $25,000 grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to support foster and legal guardianship placements, focusing on recruitment and meeting home-safety requirements for kinship foster care.
The Health and Human Services Committee voted July 16 to accept a $25,000 grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to support foster care and legal guardianship placements.
“This is really good news. We’re getting $25,000 from OCFS,” said Kit Kephart, the county Department of Social Services commissioner, describing the funds as intended to support recruitment of foster parents and to help prospective foster homes meet safety requirements such as additional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or safe‑sleep equipment.
Kephart said the funds are fully available with no local match requirement and will be used for recruitment, training listings and one‑time home safety expenses that can be barriers for prospective foster parents. The committee voted to accept the funds; roll call recorded four yes votes (Brandy/Brandy proxy, Shauna, Amanda and the chair), and the motion passed.
Why it matters: local child welfare staffing and placement capacity increasingly rely on kinship and foster placements. Small, targeted grants for recruitment and home readiness can remove practical barriers for families that want to care for children but lack immediate resources.
Committee direction: DSS staff will accept and administer the OCFS grant and incorporate the funds into recruitment and placement support activity.
