Why Texas Needs This Foster Care Initiative

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Texas has a responsibility to protect children when families cannot. Right now, the foster care system is failing that responsibility.

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Children are being moved repeatedly, separated from siblings, placed in offices or hotels, and handed off between temporary caregivers. Caseworkers are overwhelmed. Families do not trust the system. Many parents fear that once a child enters state care, that child may be traumatized instead of protected.

This instability harms children and costs Texas more in the long run. Kids fall behind in school, struggle with trauma, and too many age out of care into homelessness, exploitation, or poverty.

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Texas can do better. Children deserve safety, stability, and adults who stay. This initiative rebuilds foster care around structure, accountability, and real communities instead of chaos and emergency placements.

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The Problem We Must Solve

 

Texas foster care is unstable by design.

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Children are moved too often, sometimes five or more times in a single year. Siblings are separated because placements cannot accommodate them. Kids sleep in CPS offices or hotels when no placement is available. Oversight varies by region, and standards change depending on the contractor or county.

Even though Texas law promises safety and stability, the system cannot consistently deliver it.

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This instability creates long-term harm. Children lose trust in adults. School progress is disrupted. Trauma compounds. When youth age out at eighteen, many are left without housing, income, or support. The cost shows up later in homelessness, crime, healthcare crises, and repeated state intervention.

Families see these failures. That is why many mothers fear the system and hesitate to seek help, even when they want their child to be safe.

Incremental fixes have not worked because the structure itself is broken.

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The Texas Family Communities Solution

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Texas can protect children by replacing unstable placements with small, safe family communities built for long-term care.

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Instead of large institutions, emergency hotel stays, or high-turnover foster homes, this initiative creates small neighborhood-style communities made up of 10 to 50 homes. These communities function like real Texas neighborhoods, not facilities.

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Children live in normal homes with trained caregivers. They attend nearby public schools. They follow consistent routines. They stay in one place instead of being moved repeatedly. Siblings are kept together whenever safe. Children are grouped by age so environments support healthy development.

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This solution focuses on stability first, because stability is the foundation of safety, education, and healing.

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How the System Works

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The Texas Family Communities Act is built on a simple principle:
When the state takes responsibility for a child, that child should have a real home and a stable future.

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The system works through several connected components that reinforce one another.

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1. Small Family Community Pods

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Each Family Community is a small pod of 10 to 50 homes, sized based on regional need.

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Smaller communities allow for better supervision, stronger relationships, and faster response to concerns. Children are not lost in large systems. Caregivers know the kids. Oversight is visible and constant.

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2. Family-Style Care Instead of Institutions

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Children live in real homes with consistent caregivers, not dorm-style facilities or rotating placements.

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Homes follow normal routines like meals together, school schedules, and community activities. This restores dignity and reduces trauma caused by institutional living.

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3. Built-In Safety and Accountability

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Safety is designed into the system.

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Homes follow existing Texas building codes. Community layouts prioritize visibility and controlled access appropriate for residential neighborhoods.

 

Oversight includes civilian boards, unannounced visits, and statewide transparency dashboards that track aggregate, de-identified placement stability, incidents, and outcomes.

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Children have clear ways to report concerns, and problems are caught earlier instead of after harm occurs.

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4. Stability Through Adolescence and Early Adulthood

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Youth are not abandoned at eighteen and can remain connected to their community through high school graduation and into early adulthood when needed.​

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Youth can remain connected to their community through high school graduation and into early adulthood when needed. This includes optional housing support, job guidance, and life skills so young adults do not age out into homelessness or exploitation.

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5. Integration With Schools, Healthcare, and Communities

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Family Communities are placed near public schools, clinics, and community resources.

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Children stay in stable classrooms, participate in sports and activities, and build peer relationships. Healthcare and mental health services are coordinated locally so care is consistent instead of crisis-driven.

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Deployment Plan

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The initiative rolls out in phases, starting where the need is greatest.

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Phase 1: High-Need Regions
Regions with children sleeping in offices or hotels receive priority deployment.

 

Phase 2: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Expansion
Pods are built statewide to reduce long-distance placements and keep children closer to home.

 

Phase 3: Statewide Coverage
Unstable placements are replaced with Family Communities across all regions.

Each phase is evaluated before expanding to ensure safety and quality remain high.

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Funding and Stability

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This initiative does not raise taxes.

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Texas already spends large amounts on emergency placements, transportation, lawsuits, and system failures. The Family Communities Act redirects existing foster care spending from emergency placements and system failures into stable homes designed to reduce long-term costs.

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Fewer placement moves, fewer crises, and fewer youth aging out into homelessness save taxpayer money while producing better outcomes.

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Benefits for Texans

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The Texas Family Communities Act delivers real benefits statewide:

• Safer, more stable lives for children

• Fewer children aging out into homelessness

• Lower long-term costs for taxpayers

• Reduced CPS caseworker burnout

• Stronger schools and communities

• Restored trust for families who fear the system

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Most importantly, it sets a clear standard.

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If Texas takes responsibility for a child, Texas will protect that child.

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Closing Message

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Texas is strongest when it protects those who cannot protect themselves.

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Children in state care deserve more than temporary fixes and emergency solutions. They deserve a home, a community, and adults they can count on.

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This initiative rebuilds foster care around stability, dignity, and accountability. It replaces chaos with structure. It replaces fear with trust. And it ensures that no child in Texas grows up feeling forgotten.

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Texas can lead the nation by doing this right. And this initiative shows exactly how.