Some Quicky Facts about Foster Care with OFY

Our Foster Care program at OFY has seen some changes over the years.

In 1989, we had a core group of about eight foster homes. We gradually grew to serve about 33 children/teens. In 1992, OFY “exploded” and more than doubled the number of young people we served. We continued to expand and serve more youth throughout the mid-to-late 1990s. We then hit a plateau and slowly stopped increasing the numbers of children we placed. It was the end result of a combination of things happening in Cuyahoga County: 1) a shrinking population; 2) shrinking economy and tax base; 3) improved recruitment and services at the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services; and many other complicated factors.

Today, OFY is a solid, dependable, and stable provider of foster care services to the young people of Cuyahoga County with special needs. We currently have 65-70 children/teens in about 50 foster homes all across Cuyahoga County. We have worked with over 2,700 foster children in our short 22-year existence. We have discharged a very high percentage (between 80-87%) of those children to permanent situations (biological parents, relatives, adoption, independent living, etc.) over the years.

We have always believed that it is better to be good at what we do, rather than be the biggest at doing it.