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City launches campaign to recruit 100 foster-resource families and examines out-of-county placements
Summary
The committee heard that San Francisco has reduced foster caseloads but still places many children out of county; the Human Services Agency launched a recruitment campaign and requested support for retention, housing pilots and additional resources to keep children close to home.
President Norman Yee opened a hearing on the foster-care continuum and asked whether San Francisco can keep removed children close to their communities. Trent Rohrer, Executive Director of the Human Services Agency (HSA), presented data showing a long-term decline in foster-care population but a high out-of-county placement rate: roughly 31% of current placements are in San Francisco and about 69% are out of county.
Rohrer explained that changes under CaliforniaAssembly Bill 403 (Continuum of Care Reform, CCR) prioritize family-based settings over congregate care and have merged approval paths for caregivers, increasing the need for more resource families. He said 194 non-relative out-of-county placements are the primary target for recruitment and that the agencyrecently launched a public campaign (fostersf.org) to recruit 100 new families to reduce out-of-county placements.
Rohrer described retention measures and supports for resource families: mentorship, monthly peer convenings, childcare for trainings, a mobile response team to de-escalate crises and a stipend structure tied to assessed child needs (base rate with supplements). He noted the agency previously sought 30 Housing Choice Vouchers for prospective foster families but the housing authority retracted that set-aside due to funding constraints; he estimated a small pilot of 5to 10 families would cost on the order of $500,000 annually, depending on rental subsidy levels.
Supervisors pressed for data on attrition in the certification process and whether the city can add local payments on top of state uniform rates to offset San Franciscocost-of-living differences. Rohrer said county-level top-ups are possible but require local funding decisions and that the state budget process has at times reduced foster-parent recruitment funding; he warned that some state CCR expectations (for therapeutic foster care and six-month STRTP limits) may be difficult to meet without additional funding.
Public commenters included Legal Services for Children, dependency attorneys and many current and former resource parents, who stressed trauma from out-of-county placements, the need for improved mental-health services and respite care, and the importance of faster, less burdensome certification and more practical supports for families.
President Yee asked that the HSA provide follow-up data and suggested that supervisors and budget chairs consider targeted funding and cross-department coordination (housing, education) to help bring children back into local placements. The committee accepted the file for filing without objection.
