Foster Care Becomes Priority Issue Among Latinos
Alex Meneses Miyashita     [Photo]

Government officials and child welfare advocates are urging policymakers to pay attention to the disproportionate number of Hispanic children in foster care.

This issue was brought up during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 13th annual public policy conference held in Washington, D.C., Sept. 12-13 . The event drew some 800 participants from across the nation.

It marked the first time foster care was given priority attention at the summit event. The Democratic Hispanic members of Congress reviewed 14 issues with experts to develop policy recommendations to benefit the Hispanic community.

There are some 91,000 Hispanic children in the foster care system, representing 17% of more than 500,000 foster care children in the United States. In New Mexico, 56% of children entering the foster care system are Latino; in Connecticut, 32%; in California and Texas, 31%; and in Arizona, 27%, according to Casey Family Programs.

"This is a fabulous opportunity to do more for our young people," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), who chaired a panel of five experts on child welfare.

Cardoza, who is an adoptive father of two children, introduced the Military Adoption Act in the current congressional session. The bill would provide paid leave to members of the military who decide to adopt children.

In 2004, 21.9% of Hispanics lived in poverty. Ernesto Loperena, executive director of the New York Council on Adoptable Children, told Hispanic Link News Service that poverty, drug use and mental illness are the main reasons that lead to the neglect of children.

Casey Family Programs vice president Adrienne Hahn urged the panel to support all education initiatives that further the advancement of Latinos, including the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act.

"That's the only real stepping stone out of poverty,” she said. “We all know what a higher education can do for you."

Hahn stressed the need to keep federal resources flowing, and not to cut programs such as Medicaid, which is the main source of health assistance for these children. She emphasized the importance of the summit:
"It says now we're taking the issue seriously. That's the message to the larger general public, that we care about this, and now we're willing to start making policy recommendations that drive the initiatives forward," she said.

Another summit held for the first time was on banking and Latino access to credit.

Chaired by Rep. Loretta Sánchez (D-Calif.), the panel called for funding credit education programs, making easier the sub-prime to prime loan transition, and increasing information on Latino financial services.

Among the summits that drew large attention was one on immigration chaired by Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), and paneled by members of Hispanic, labor, civil rights and religious groups.

"Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate have a concerted dialogue, and they want to move these measures forward to bring immigration reform to this country," Gutiérrez said.

He is co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill that would create a foreign guest worker program and open the possibility for the legalization of undocumented immigrants. An identical bill is currently pending in the Senate, sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Other summits addressed concerns is fields such as education, health, labor, civil rights, housing, Social Security and international relations.

"Every year (the conference) seems to attract more organizations that represent Latinos throughout the diversity of the United States," CHCI Chair Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) told Hispanic Link News Service.

She added, "We are moving, slowly, but we are moving forward. We're increasing the number of representatives and we have been able to get provisions in certain pieces of legislation that help Latinos. The more we talk about, the more we impress upon people that they have to be the catalysts, in their own backyards, in their own communities."

(Alex Meneses reports for Hispanic Link News Service in Washington, D.C. He may be reached by e-mail at Alex@hispaniclink.org)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
09/25/05
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