Francine Williams presented a request to the City of Stonecrest for a special land use permit to operate a Child Care Institute (CCI) at 3802 Button Gate Court. She described the CCI model as a licensed group-home-style placement for children the state cannot place immediately in foster homes, citing statewide placement shortages and the need for facilities that can house sibling groups, teens and children with specialized needs.

Williams provided statistics she attributed to state licensing sources: as of Dec. 2024 approximately 10,288 children were in need of placement and the state had capacity to place roughly 4,792 of them; she said Georgia currently has over 11,000 children in foster care in 2025 and emphasized a critical shortage of licensed homes for older youth and sibling groups.

An educator, Tanisha Williams, said she has known Francine for years and vouched for her qualifications and community service, noting Francine’s experience with children and community programs.

Staff questions focused on the practicalities of placement. Williams said the state places children of varying ages and that the CCI must be flexible: some stays may be days, some weeks or months. She said the residence layout includes multiple bedrooms and play areas suitable for the proposed care model.

Next steps: Staff announced the item will go to Planning Commission on Jan. 6, 2026, and Mayor and Council on Jan. 26, 2026. No decision or formal conditions were adopted at the Dec. 11 meeting.