Authorities in Elko County say there is a critical shortage of foster care homes.
At a recent hearing, Elko County Board of Commissioners Chairman Delmo Andreozzi described the shortage as a “dire situation.”
In all of Elko County, there are 19 licensed foster homes. Of those, just six have general foster care licenses, meaning they don’t have restrictions on the children they can take in, and of those six homes, three are full. That leaves four beds in Elko County available for children in need.
The Elko Daily Free Press reports that between January and mid-April, representatives from the Division of Child and Family Services petitioned the courts for custody of eight children, and there are already 56 children in foster care DCFS legal custody in Elko County.
DCFS workers hope to license at least 15 more foster homes in Elko County, including communities outside of Elko such as Carlin, Jackpot, Wells and West Wendover by the end of the year.
