For more than 80% of CFR clients, housing is among the top reasons for delays in children returning home if they entered the foster system. Finding and keeping stable housing, having enough healthy food to eat, and meeting other basic needs are enormous challenges for people who experience poverty—especially if they are in the middle of a Family Court case.

For families experiencing homelessness, going through an ACS investigation comes with even more systemic barriers. Most CFR clients use Medicaid to pay for needed medication, doctor’s appointments, and services like counseling. When families are homeless, the city moves them around, often interrupting their benefits and disrupting services that keep their family healthy.

Securing safe, stable housing and sufficient nutritious food is key to keeping families together. Parents charged by the city cannot keep their children home or get their children out of the foster system if they can’t demonstrate that they can provide for their children’s basic needs. Research also shows that inadequate food, shelter, and other resources can lead to a family neglect case.

At CFR, we wholeheartedly believe that experiencing poverty is not a crime, and it is not neglect. Rather than facing punishment and policing, parents deserve our empathy and support so that they can continue to raise their children and keep their family safely together.