MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Across the state of Michigan, over 10,000 children are currently raised through foster care programs, with around 400 of them in the Upper Peninsula.
Child and Family Services of the Upper Peninsula (CFSUP) works to strengthen these children and their families throughout each U.P. county. They provide foster home licensing for people looking to offer their own space, with care and support for a number of months or years.
Executive Director of CFSUP Sara Miller says that the awareness this month helps lessen a lot of hesitations surrounding foster parenting.
“We are always recruiting for foster parents,” said Miller. “I think people have the misconception that they need to own a home or that they need to be married, or that they need to meet certain income limits, and none of that is true.”
Foster parents receive a stipend to feed, clothe and meet the child’s basic needs, as well as their medical and dental coverages.
Miller says that even those considering the idea of fostering a child, to reach out with any questions. They can be addressed towards the contacts on cfsup.org, or in person, at 706 Chippewa Square, Suite 105, in Marquette.
