As a private agency, Encourage is able to develop connections with public agencies in order to help more children. We currently serve the counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Holmes, Knox, Lorain, Licking, Medina, Portage, Stark, Richland, Summit, Tuscarawas, Wayne and more.
Every month, our agency receives dozens of requests for foster homes for youth and siblings from the counties we serve. We frequently turn away up to 80 children every month due to the lack of suitable foster homes. Simply put, we need more foster homes. Although we get referrals for all ages, our greatest NEED is for sibling groups, school-aged children, kids with medical needs and teenagers.
Today over 24,000 precious hearts have been uprooted, forgotten, abused or neglected in Ohio alone. This is approximately how many foster children and youth who are in our state today. According to Foster Care Capacity, in 2022 despite the need, there were only 7,639 licensed foster homes.
Below you can see the number of children in foster care in each county we serve from the 2022 PCSAO Fact Book. These numbers are sadly growing.


The Need In Our Community

You Have Questions
Becoming a foster or foster-to-adopt parent is a huge decision. Visit our FAQ section to learn more.
Next Steps
195+
Ashland
County
3,740+
Cuyahoga
County
50+
Holmes
County
172+
Knox
County
226+
Lorain
County
488+
Licking
County
161+
Medina
County
329+
Portage
County
1,523+
Summit
County
636+
Stark
County
182+
Tuscarawas
County
175+