STROUDSBURG, Pa. — For more than 21 years, Glorianna Medina of East Stroudsburg has been fostering children, and she doesn't plan to stop.
"The most important thing for me is belonging, a sense of belonging. Offering that to a child during a time that's very difficult," Medina said. "I think there's a lot of misconceptions/ I think there is a lot of damage control that comes with it, but at the same time, we're talking about a child."
There is a great need for more people like Medina.
Monroe County Children & Youth's foster care unit says children are being placed into foster care, but there aren't enough foster parents.
"We have about 80 foster homes currently, and most of them are full right now. So weekly, we get calls, and we have to find a place for a child to go, and sometimes it's difficult. And there's a need for newborns, there's a need for school-aged children, there's a need for teenagers all across the board," said Maggie Santos from Monroe County Children & Youth's foster care unit.
Officials at Monroe County Children & Youth say ever since the pandemic started, they've had a hard time getting in new foster parents and keeping the ones they already have.
But Medina says It's worth it.
"Giving back to your community and offering your home, offering you emotions and time to a child to be able to hopefully break that cycle, I think that it's the best that we can offer our children, especially with all the children that are in foster care. And we're in desperate need of help trying to get kids homes and keep them safe for a time period," Medina said.
Monroe County Children & Youth's foster care unit is offering a foster care program virtual open house.
The training is on Monday, September 13 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To sign up for the training, send an email to msantos@monroecountypa.gov.