Last year, Erin and Isaac Hougland of Indianapolis got certified to become foster parents, with the hope of adopting a baby. Just a few weeks later, they got a call.
An 8-week-old baby needed a home. All they knew was that the boy's mother was a heroin addict and had left him at the hospital. They were told that because of the drugs, the baby might require some special care. But mostly, he just needed a place to go.
"Both of us were just like, 'Let's do it,' " says Isaac Hougland. "We wrapped up what we were doing at work and went to the hospital."
The Houglands' foster son is part of a new national influx of kids coming into foster care because parents abusing heroin or prescription painkillers can no longer care for them.
A recent report by the federal government shows that, after years of decline, the number of children in foster care is going up again. Roughly 265,000 kids entered foster care last year ā the highest number since 2008.
[For more of this story, written by Jake Harper, go to http://www.npr.org/sections/he...s-foster-care-system]
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