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Local foster-care nonprofit Meg’s Place outlines services; commissioners hear county needs data
Summary
Representative from Live Like Meagan Foundation described Meg’s Place operations in McDowell County and proposed expanding to Burke County to avoid children sleeping at the DSS office; commissioners said staff will follow up with local DSS and faith leaders.
Amber Vess, executive founder and director of the Live Like Meagan Foundation, told the Board of Commissioners that Meg’s Place is a home-based resource center that serves children in foster care while they await placement and provides clothing, equipment and parenting support to families working reunification plans.
Vess, a longtime foster parent and adopter, said the home offers a bed, stocked kitchen and resource center so children and caregivers do not have to sleep at the local Department of Social Services (DSS) office while placement is sought. She cited county DSS figures showing 160 instances of children sleeping at DSS between June 2024 and June 2025 and 109 such instances from January through the current reporting period.
“Meg’s Place gives this home idea for children, that they have a bed to sleep in,” Vess said, describing counseling, clothing and crib- or furniture‑assistance that can aid foster and kinship families.
Vess said Live Like Meagan operates a functioning Meg’s Place in McDowell County and is discussing a Burke County expansion; she said services include a kinship fund and support groups for foster parents, and that the organization helps with reunification needs such as cribs and washers for parents working case plans.
Commissioners and the county manager discussed outreach to faith leaders and scheduled a faith-leader breakfast on Aug. 14 to recruit support for foster-care needs; the county manager said staff would coordinate additional meetings and noted the board has prioritized foster-care engagement in its strategic planning.
Provenance: Presentation from the county manager introducing Amber Vess and the Live Like Meagan Foundation and Vess’s remarks about Meg’s Place and DSS statistics.
