319,000.  This is the number of children who are currently in US foster care who are unable to stay with their temporary families. As a result, children and youth across the nation are being temporarily housed in jails, hotels or sleeping on office floors due to the lack of foster homes, group homes and other appropriate living environments.

By the age of 17 more than half of youth who are removed from their homes will have some encounter with the legal system -- either through arrest, conviction, or detention.

To add to this complicated issue, many states do not have enough foster homes for the number of children who need them. This has led them to be “housed” in jails and offices. 

Restoring order and routine to children who have been removed by authorities is crucial in their developmental process. Dr. Sharon Ford of Focus on the Family describes how no matter when a trauma occurs, it interrupts the developmental process and can cause deficits into adulthood.

Follow The Common Good on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Hosted by Aubrey Sampson and Brian From

Produced by Laura Finch and Keith Conrad