Warren County has 92 children who need a foster home and only 30 licensed families to take them in.

The number of licensed foster homes in the county has fallen 50% over the past five years, Warren County Children's Services director Tanya Sellers told FOX19 in a report published Thursday, Sept. 10. The shortage has forced more than half of those 92 children into placements outside the county.

That means changed schools, lost connections to familiar community resources and harder logistics for family visits, Sellers said.

"The closer they are here, the easier that is to do, and if we have a place out of county and we bring them back, back to a new school, they have to find new providers," Sellers said.

Sellers told FOX19 the agency receives expressions of interest from potential foster parents but few follow through with applications.

Older children, special-needs kids hardest to place

Children older than 5 and those with special needs are the hardest to match with families, according to Sellers. Placements for children under 5 come more easily.

The agency's primary goal remains reunification between children and their birth parents when possible. It encourages foster families to support that process.

Support for foster families

Foster care manager Dana Gerstner said the agency provides foster families with a daily stipend, mileage reimbursement, medical cards for the children and some daycare assistance.

Warren County commissioners in January 2026 voted to raise the daily per diem rates to $30 for children ages 0 to 12 and $40 for children ages 13 to 18, according to the county's general session agenda.

At the state level, Ohio House Bill 984, introduced in August 2026, would direct the Ohio Department of Children and Youth Services to set maximum foster care reimbursement rates statewide. The legislature is on recess until November, WYSO reported.

How to apply

Sellers told FOX19 on Sept. 10 that connecting children with local foster parents before the November and December holidays is a priority. Residents interested in fostering can reach Warren County Children's Services at 513-695-1546, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is at 416 South East St. in Lebanon. Applications are also available at warrencountyohio.gov/ChildrenServices.