Marquette County foster homes needed

More than 100 children in Marquette County are currently in foster care, but there’s always a need for more families to open up their homes to kids in need.

Due to the limited number of foster families in the county, many children are placed in Delta, Alger, and Houghton Counties, making it difficult for parents to visit their children.

“We’re losing homes due to adoption, and we don’t have places to put our kids in this county,” Department of Human Services licensing worker Heather Johnston said. “It makes reunification with their birth parents a lot easier if we can have these kids stay in our county. Right now, we’re looking for a lot of safe, nurturing homes where our kids can go for a time while their parents get the services to make their family a better place.”

Potential foster parents need to first contact the Department of Human Services or a private agency to conduct an orientation. The orientation explains what type of qualifications a person needs to have to become a foster parent.

“At that point is when you get your application, and then there’s a lot of paper work. You have to complete twelve hours of PRIDE training which is usually done in office by me or another person like me,” Johnston said. “You have to pass background checks, fingerprinting, and your home has to complete an inspection as well.”

For more information, you can call the Department of Human Services at (906) 228–9691.