Hope Forti of Colorado Springs knew she wanted to be a foster parent after her only son was born three years ago. She told Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that having a child of her own made her realize how critical it was for children to live in loving homes.
This month, the state put out a call for more foster parents, predicting a shortage of 1,200 foster families in the next two years. The state says it also needs a more diverse pool of foster families, including black, Latino and LGBTQ families.
Forti, who has had four foster children so far, says she wants to dispel the myths that foster children are too challenging and that foster care parents do it for the money. She and her husband recently started the group Foster Together Colorado to support foster parents and let others know how they can volunteer to help foster families.
There's also a state website that offers more information about foster care in Colorado.
