MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Job & Family Services on Thursday reported major progress in its foster care system, with nearly 30 licensed foster homes.
“Which is practically triple what we had 10 years ago,” Director Scott Boone told county commissioners.
Of the roughly 62 to 67 children in JFS’ custody, about 41 percent are placed within Knox County. Boone said that is far above neighboring counties, which he said place 2 to 5 percent locally.
“Point being that in Knox County, compared to our surrounding neighbors, we do a phenomenal job of keeping kids close to home.”
JFS Director Scott Boone
“My dream years ago when we had a handful of foster homes and I was seeing the kids placed in Lucas County and Athens and all these different places, I wanted to have a mechanism where when kids came into custody in Knox County.
“They could stay in the same school, they could stay in the same neighborhoods, and hopefully the same sports teams, friend groups, all those different types of things to keep them connected,” Boone said.
“We’re making great strides with that. The alarming part of that for me is those other counties’ percentages.”
The value of staying local
Boone said the low percentage in other counties is a resource issue. Some counties do not have foster care licenses.
“Where I came from, I saw the value of it. I thought we could build something here the same way,” he said.
“It’s not something other counties want to do. They do it out of survival and necessity because they don’t have people in their community maybe that are willing and able to go that route, and they have to unfortunately send a lot of their kids out to private providers or centers.”
Commissioner Bill Pursel referenced recent publicity about kinship placements and potential fraud.
Bone said that in his experience, children always do best with family.
“When that can’t be safe with the parents of origin, for example, or whatever the situation was, you look beyond and you try to find other relatives,” he said.
Boone said JFS practices concurrent planning: developing a Plan A and Plan B with parents about where children will go if they become unsafe in a home, such as if a parent relapses or an emergency occurs.
“It’s always our belief that kids are best with blood, so you prearrange it so that it’s possible,” he said.
JFS reaches labor deal
JFS finalized a new three-year labor agreement with its unionized staff, ending several weeks of negotiations.
The union ratified the agreement last night, setting the stage for a vote by county commissioners next week.
Boone said the talks produced “a very positive outcome” and a “very generous agreement reflective of our embracing the importance of our staff.”
The agreement takes effect July 1, pending commissioner approval.
Elder Awareness Month events planned
June is Elder Awareness Month. Boone said the agency is coordinating with the Area Agency on Aging to recognize services for residents 60 and older.
Back-to-school voucher demand down slightly
JFS received 270 applications for back-to-school vouchers this year, with a potential 614 vouchers. That is down from 384 applications and 880 vouchers issued last year.
Boone said improved scheduling and advertising helped avoid long lines at the Mount Vernon Church of the Nazarene. “Where before it was people lined around the church… it was spread out a lot better this year,” he said.
Storm-related SNAP replacement tops $35,000
The state JFS approved 113 households — representing 287 individuals — for $35,422 in SNAP replacement benefits. The benefits go toward replacing food lost due to recent storms and power outages.
New maintenance supervisor improving operations
JFS recently hired a new maintenance supervisor for Opportunity Knox, bringing years of experience from local schools. Boone said the addition has already improved operations and reduced the number of issues reaching his desk.
