Hundreds of children in the province, are without a permanent home.
Under the age of 16, they live in foster care. The goal of the New Brunswick Adoption Foundation is to help support these children while they await a permanent home.
Executive Director Suzanne Kingston says the number of kids is on the decline, but over 60 per cent are still over the age of 11, “Right now the number is 400. Twelve to fifteen years ago, when we started the Foundation, there were 1000 kids in care.”
Kingston says unfortunately, children under 10 are easier to place. For older kids, it is hard to find a match that will work for everyone, “More and more there are people thinking of older kids and over the years that the Foundation has been around, the province has really been focusing on ensuring that kids have a permanent home, but it’s the kids under 10 who are being placed more quickly. For the older kids, it is hard to find a match that is going to work for everyone.”
She says, “Young adults need homes, and they need to be part of a family. If we think of ourselves as young people and how much having a family made a difference for us.”
