Foster parents needed in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- ABC-7 has learned that foster parents are critically needed in El Paso. The El Paso area is currently facing a foster parent deficit.
Pricilla Cuellar, the area director for A World for Children, a foster care and adoption agency, explained the current situation.
“Very little interest in the El Paso community wanting to foster our kiddos," she said.
Cuellar said on average it takes a few hours for children to be placed into foster homes. Children range from 0 to 17 years of age, including males and females. She said around 100 to 150 foster children enter their system each year.
The process of becoming a foster parent can take a few months.
“We're kind of in a deficit right now. We have too many foster kids needing placement. We just don't have enough foster parents that are accepting, or they're not able to meet those children's needs at this time," Cuellar explained.
Veronica Gonson is a foster mom. She has fostered children for over six years with the intent to adopt. She said her life has been transformed and personally impacted.
"I just thought it was a great opportunity to help. And I saw how satisfying it was for my parents. And to be honest, I wanted to just help as well and see what change I can, I can do with these kids lives. I mean, I grew up in a foster home where there was always love."
Her parents have been fostering kids for over 20 years, and they continue to foster to this day. She grew up with many foster kids whom she now considers siblings.
"I even have siblings and they're siblings for me. But now they come and visit my parents, and that's, you know, they have their kids, and 'that's grandpa, and that's grandma, auntie.' And I mean, it's been years, and we're family. So I, I would say that just gave me, like, a satisfaction that maybe that will happen to me one day when the kids I foster, grow up and maybe come visit and look for me," Gonson explained.
She said her parents were a great example.
"They just made it welcoming and showed us how to make them feel welcome, especially because they come from a different environment, different settings. And that's kind of what I try teaching my own kids, even though they were younger."
Gonson has two children of her own. She encourages others to become foster parents.
"It is not hard to foster, honestly; it's it's such a rewarding job. It's an opportunity to change the child's life. So I would definitely like more people to to at least look into it," Gonson added.
Cuellar said foster children need a safe, nurturing and loving environment.
"There's some trauma involved, but when they're in a stable and loving and nurturing home, you start seeing them shine. You start seeing them grow, and they show you their true character. They show you how funny they are. So they start shining."
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, click here or call (915) 781-3330.
