WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. — A plea for help is coming from Waukesha County leaders, as they say they're in dire need of foster parents.
"These parents aren't bad people, they're just going through their worst moment of their life. I couldn't imagine losing my kids in the middle of the night," Liz Liebert said.
Liz and her husband Sam Liebert took the leap of faith back in 2020 and became foster parents.
The Liebert's went through the certification process which includes background checks and training. Since then, they've fostered several local kids.
"It's not as scary as it may seem. At first, I was like 'Oh boy, I don't know if we can do this.' But as long as you can open your home up and your hearts up to children and families and supporting them, then you can do it," Liz Liebert said.
Over the last five years, the number of foster parents here in Waukesha County has drastically decreased. Now, leaders are desperately searching for folks to step up.
"Anyone who's willing to open their home, has a passion for caring for children. You could be single, married, divorced, you can own or rent. There's really fewer requirements than people think," Michelle Lim said.
Lim's the Waukesha County Foster Care Supervisor. She said in 2019, there were 62 available foster homes for children in the county. Since then, the numbers have continuously dropped off.
Today, the number of foster families is down to 39. Only eight of those are available to take in kids who could need it.
"We really like to make matches, of course for the kids, but also for our foster parents," Lim added.
Right now, the county's looking for anyone interested in fostering, but there's an even bigger need for those who can foster a newborn or children older than 10.
"I never thought I'd be a foster parent. I just always thought I'd have our biological kids and that would be it. But it's been a really positive experience," Sam Liebert said.
To learn more about becoming a foster parent in Waukesha County, click here.
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