Foster Care Abuses

Across the country, parents living in poverty are burdened with child support fees they cannot afford.

No one should lose their children just because they’re poor — but too often, that’s exactly what happens.

When parents cannot afford stable housing, child welfare systems frequently respond by removing children from their care. The state then demands that these parents pay high monthly child support fees to cover the cost of foster care. These charges are imposed without considering whether parents can actually pay, even if they already struggle to make ends meet. Rather than supporting families who need it most, this system only deepens their debt, delays reunification, and punishes parents simply for being poor.