‘One is too many:’ Tampa mom sees more foster kids sleeping in offices

by: Brittany Muller

Posted: Aug 1, 2023 / 07:29 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 1, 2023 / 07:32 PM EDT

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa mom is fired up after she said she witnessed foster kids sleeping in child welfare offices.

This is not a new story, but it’s one 8 On Your Side continues to expose.

As a former foster child who was in the system for 15 years, Nema Bell Hernandez Calero said she knows there are issues with the system, but when she visited her daughters last week at the One Hope United office off West Busch Boulevard, she said she was surprised to see kids sleeping in this office.

Hernandez said she has visited her daughters every Thursday since May at One Hope United, which is an agency that supervises kids in foster care.

“In every single visitation room, there’s five visitation room, and every single one of them is filled with children, stuff clothing, there’s air mattresses and beds there’s no shower there,” said Hernandez.

During her last visit, Hernandez claims she saw as many as seven foster kids sleeping in the office. When News Channel 8’s Brittany Muller went inside One Hope United to ask about it, staff would not talk with her.

“One is too many, three is definitely too many and seven you’re getting to inexcusable levels,” said Kelley Parris, Children’s Board of Hillsborough County Executive Director.

Parris said the agencies and contractors involved need to be held accountable.

“To turn that ship around takes a lot of time I do think that they’ve made some strides,” said Parris. “I do think the issues like this need to be exposed and need to be directly addressed by not only the department but the community.”

Parris is talking about the Children’s Network Of Hillsborough, which is the private agency that manages foster care for the state and took over last summer.

CEO Terri Balliet confirmed three foster kids have slept there in the past few weeks. Balliet also said since her agency took over last summer, they have been making strides in reducing the number of kids sleeping in offices. While she wouldn’t comment further on this story, she has defended the contractor’s performance improving the placement of children in homes. Still, Hernandez has her doubts.

“When I brought it up to their attention, they told me these teams were hard to place that it was summertime,” said Hernandez. “Foster parents are at their wits end they’re low on their numbers of foster homes.”A representative with the Florida Department of Children and Families sent this statement to 8 On Your Side:

“Every situation is different and therefore offering a generalized statement is not appropriate, but our goal is always to ensure the safety of the children in our care. In fact, our data shows that since this lead agency has taken over, the instances of children spending any time in an office has decreased significantly, with only two instances in June. In both of those instances, there were extenuating circumstances and only for a limited amount of time sufficient to find an appropriate new placement option. Our Department works with community-based care lead agencies who are responsible for recruiting foster parents, ensuring adequate placements and building out the placement array based on evolving needs of the children in our care. The lead agencies are responsible for ensuring that all children have a safe and appropriate environment based on their individual needs and circumstances.”