Too often, youth are forced to sleep in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) offices and other inappropriate settings after being removed from their homes due to alleged abuse or neglect. This is not only a violation of their rights, but also a detriment to their wellbeing.

Throughout the country, there is a shortage of foster homes for many reasons and Illinois is no exception. Between 2019 - 2023, Illinois lost over 860 foster homes throughout the state.

Yet, paradoxically, many Illinois foster parents report that they have empty beds. Some say they haven't been contacted by their licensing agency for months, even though child welfare workers and even other foster parents, are constantly scrambling to help find foster homes for youth across the state.  

Simultaneously, many Illinois foster parents struggle to provide support for youth in foster care saying that the agency that they obtained their foster care license through, whether DCFS or a private DCFS contracted agency, is allowed to deny them taking in a young person if that youth's case is being managed by a different agency than the one that they are licensed under. As of 2019, over 300 private contracted agencies manage 85 percent of DCFS cases.

This practice is precisely what results in youth sleeping in DCFS offices and improper placements, and increases the need for funding for emergency short term care. It also creates additional trauma for these vulnerable youth by moving them between different homes and only further exhausts the existing shortage of needed foster homes.

These current practices are unacceptable and need to be addressed immediately. As concerned citizens, voters and taxpayers, we insist that DCFS immediately allow, and communicate publicly, that all licensed foster parents in Illinois are able to offer a home to any youth in care, regardless if their foster care license was administered by DCFS directly, or by a private DCFS contracted agency.

By doing so, we can help stabilize youth who have been brought into protective custody by the state, and help minimize inflicting additional trauma on youth as they navigate through these particularly challenging circumstances in their lives.

DCFS is funded by taxpayers and these practices are not only alarmingly damaging to youth, but a waste of public resources.

Please help put an end to these harmful practices and support bringing necessary change for our state's most vulnerable young people by signing this petition today!