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Needs in Michigan

The Need in Michigan—and the Opportunity

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Children enter foster care for one reason: a determination has been made that it is no longer safe for them to remain at home.

At the end of March 2026, this determination occurred for the 9.961 kids in Michigan’s foster care system. This determination occurred for children in every county in Michigan. And this determination will occur for children this week – and the week following. Children will need families in their community to provide them safety and support when that happens. This is not a number to feel helpless about.

It’s an invitation to get involved.

Michigan has made significant headway by keeping more families together through in-home support services — and that's worth celebrating. But the work isn't finished. Thousands of children still need safe, stable homes and the need for caring adults in their lives is as real as ever. Getting involved doesn't always mean becoming a foster parent. You can mentor a young person, support a foster family in your community, or give to help fund the services that keep families whole. However you show up, it matters.

What Happens Without Enough Homes

When there aren’t enough foster families to go around, children suffer in very specific, preventable ways:

  • Children spend unnecessary time in shelters or residential placements instead of family settings
  • Children experience multiple placement moves because there aren’t enough homes to make a good match
  • Multiple moves increase trauma and lead to worse long-term outcomes
  • Siblings are separated because there aren’t enough homes that can take more than one child

What “More Than Enough” Looks Like

When a community truly comes together around foster care, something remarkable happens. There are enough families, yes—but more than that, those families are supported. They have neighbors, congregations, and networks of people who show up. They don’t burn out as fast. They stay. The children in their care experience stability instead of disruption.

That’s the vision Wellspring is working toward in every county we serve in Michigan: not just enough foster homes, but enough community around those homes that the whole system works better for kids and families.

We don’t get there alone. We get there together.

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