By Courtney Oldwyn

Special to the Journal

Michela attended 11 different schools since she was nine years old. Not because her family moved often, but because that’s when she was removed from her home and placed in foster care for the first time.

New home after new home, new family after new family – Michela spent fourth and fifth grade on Orcas Island, then seventh and the start of eighth in Friday Harbor before being sent to another home in yet another community.

After every change in school she fell further and further behind academically. Eventually she dropped out of high school. Being able to stay at least in the same town or on the same island “would’ve really helped, at least I wouldn’t have had to change schools so much.” she said.

Currently there are almost 10,000 children in foster care in Washington. Only a small number of those come from San Juan County. The main problem the county is facing is that the lack of licensed foster homes causes local children who do come in to care to be placed in off-island homes. There are no licensed foster homes on Orcas and only one on San Juan Island.

Foster care is in itself extremely stressful for children and can, in the long term, be as traumatizing as staying in an abusive or neglectful home. The loss of parents, siblings, friends and their own community “culture” is incredibly disorienting to children. Add to that the loss of their friends, the school many of them have been attending since kindergarten, teachers they have built relationships with and the community they’ve grown up in and their lives become even more disoriented.

Last year on Orcas 10 children were removed from their families by the state but only a handful of them were able to remain on the island. Some were able to live with family members or “suitable others”: friends, neighbors, teachers or other adults that these children may have a pre-existing relationship with. The others were sent to licensed foster homes off island in places like Skagit, Whatcom or even King Counties.

“If we had homes ready, these children could easily be placed here,” said Christina Urtasun, a foster care recruiting and retention specialist who is contracted with the state to act as a liaison between the Department of Social and Health Services and foster parents.

On Wednesday, Jan. 20 Urtasun held an informational meeting at the Friday Harbor Library informing islanders about the foster care licensing process.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of noise lately from the islands about the need for licensed homes, for information, for support, for someone to come out here,” said Urtasun. “There is no social worker based in San Juan County at this time, which can make the licensing process even more daunting for new foster families and leaves current families without much support.”

Of the approximately 20 islanders who attended the meeting, more than half were families interested in possibly becoming licensed foster homes.

“I came here tonight to learn more, be prepared and have that option. I came with no expectations but just to learn more about the (licensing) process and to see if it may be the right time for my family to help,” said one local mom of two young children.

Also in attendance were local youth advocates like Linnea Anderson, San Juan County Juvenile Court administrator.

“I’ve had kids literally stay the night in my office because we have nowhere to send them to,” she said.

Another problem facing local kids, especially teenagers, is that they’re unwilling to seek help from the state when living in bad situations because they’re afraid they’ll be forced to move off island.

“These kids just want to go to school, they just want to play basketball,” said Anderson.

Many of these teens end up living informally with friends or extended family, couch surfing between homes or staying in potentially neglectful situations with their parents. Friends, family and community members often decline to call in to the state possible cases of neglect or abuse because they don’t want to be responsible for these children having to move off island.

Another problem with not having licensed foster homes in the community is that when children are informally living with another family or even placed by the state in a home with a “suitable other” these families do not receive the same benefits and support as licensed foster homes.

Island families considering whether or not foster care is right for them should keep in mind that families always have the final say on which children to accept into their homes. They can set age parameters or even agree to only take in children from their own communities. Families who become licensed may receive calls as often as every day looking for placement for children from all over the state or they may not have a child in their home for months. Often children from other counties are not placed in island homes because of the travel restrictions and the complications it causes for social workers.

Licensing requirements include fingerprinting, a background check, home visit, CPR and First-Aid training and completion of a 24 hour training program.

The licensing process itself can be lengthy and hard to navigate but there is help through programs like Fostering Together, which Christina Urtasun collaborates with to provide mentorship to new families going through the process. Urtasun has been working over the past few months to set up a licensing and training program in San Juan County.

“I’ve been working on it for months but it’s finally ready to go,” said Urtasun. “The training is scheduled for April on Orcas Island and is open to all interested families. Who knows when a training like this here in the islands will happen again.”

Michela is currently working to earn her high school diploma but is already planning ahead to the next step: higher education.

“It is my wildest dream to go to a four year college,” writes Michela in her application essay to Seattle University.

On her own for more than a year now, Michela is working on putting down roots. She has an apartment in Friday Harbor, she’s studying to get her driver’s license and has found support and friendship from past mentors who live here also.

At the informational meeting last week she made connections with a few local moms and business owners. She has a potential job interview. She is building her own “village.”

“I just never had that luxury of staying anywhere very long,” she said.

For licensing and initial paperwork visit their website or contact Urtasun at Christina-urtusan@olivecrest.org.