The story below is from our July/August 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Roanoke City leads Virginia in foster care cases — a sobering reflection of systemic struggles, but also a call to action for a community that can be the difference.
Adobe Stock
With a population of around 100,000, Roanoke City is home to a disproportionately high number of children in foster care. As of October 2024, 289 children were in care — accounting for 5.4% of Virginia’s total foster care population. That’s nearly one in every 350 residents. In contrast, Fairfax County — Virginia’s most populous jurisdiction with over 1.1 million residents — had only 247 children in care.
The numbers don’t lie: Roanoke is carrying a burden far heavier than cities twice or three times its size. Roanoke has led the state in foster care numbers since December 2021.
But statistics alone don’t capture the whole story.
The seeds of this crisis lie in systemic issues that have long plagued Roanoke. Violent crime, domestic abuse, poverty and the devastating reach of the opioid epidemic have created a perfect storm of family disruption.
Substance abuse is the leading cause of foster care entry here, impacting over 95% of cases in Roanoke City. The opioid crisis has not just wrecked lives — it has broken families. Mental health crises often accompany addiction, making placement even more difficult. Children in need of safety have spent nights in social services offices or even emergency rooms — not because help isn’t trying, but because there’s simply nowhere else for them to go.
Roanoke County is also struggling: 117 children are in care, yet only 31 licensed foster homes are available. This shortfall often forces children into group homes or distant placements, far from the familiarity and connections they desperately need.
Virginia is not turning a blind eye. Reforms like the “Kin First Now” initiative are aiming to increase kinship placements — where children are placed with relatives or trusted adults — from 13% to 35% by July 2025. These arrangements help children maintain a sense of identity and continuity.
But these reforms depend on something money can’t always buy: community engagement.
“The challenge is not motivation,” says Lamona West, licensing Specialist at StepStone Family and Youth Services. “Many people have the heart. But they’re scared they don’t have the tools. We equip families and individuals with the tools to help them feel more prepared and supported to be parents of children who have experienced trauma.”
Fostering isn’t just a legal process — it’s a leap of faith into the world of children who’ve experienced trauma, loss and abandonment. Yet misconceptions often hold potential foster parents back. Living in an apartment? Unmarried? Own pets? None of these disqualify you from fostering.
What matters is stability. To be a foster parent in Virginia, you must be over 21, financially and medically stable, have a safe home with at least two beds, reliable transportation and be able to pass background checks (criminal, Child Protective Services, DMV and credit).
Daniela Flood-Walker never imagined how fostering would transform their lives — or the lives of the boys she now calls sons.
“For us, we always wanted a big family,” she shares. “We couldn’t close our eyes to the fact that there are kids growing up in broken homes, surrounded by drugs, incarceration, abuse and neglect.”
Their first foster son is now their legally adopted son — safe, loved and thriving. Then came a second. And now a third is on the path to adoption. They are now the proud parents of a 17-year-old, a 14-year-old and a three-year-old.
“Therapeutic foster care showed us it’s not all rainbows and unicorns,” she says. “But we’re doing what we can. Our family isn’t perfect, and the work is tough. But all three of my babies are worth it. They deserve to be loved, to dream, to explore. We are grateful for our forever family.”
Roanoke is battling a foster care crisis — but it’s not without hope. The city’s Department of Social Services has made an urgent plea for more foster homes and community support. Every family who steps forward helps lighten the load for a system stretched thin. Every supportive neighbor, teacher, volunteer and mentor creates a network of safety and belonging that these children so desperately need.
Interested in learning more about fostering?
Visit VirginiaFosterCare.org or contact the Roanoke Department of Social Services to attend an information session.
The story above is from our July/August 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!