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Hopes and needs: meet some foster care kids

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Hopes and needs: meet some foster care kids

From the Dave Ress stories on Virginia's child welfare system series

DAVE RESS Richmond Times-Dispatch
Aug 23, 2026
Aug 23, 2026 Updated Oct 27, 2026
0

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Something bad landed them in foster care, the system that steps in to take children from a home that isn't safe for them.

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08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — “I am looking for a good family, so I don’t have to keep switching homes."
Cassidy, 14
Virginia Kids Belong

-8xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I would like to be, I'm still choosing, but a policeman or a firefighter. Things I like to do with the family is go out places ... I'm an outgoing person."
Andre, 13
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — Elijah, Izayah and Ella really want to to stay together, which isn't always easy for foster kids dreaming of a forever home.
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met=fosterkids — Hunter, 12, dreams of a family that "will always be by my side."
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I try to make people happy."
Jacob, 14
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I want to belong to a family."
Jon, 16
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I want to feel cared for ... and just feel like we belong,"
Jordan, 15
"I want to feel close together and loved."
Steven, 15
(Jordan and Steven are twins.)
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkid — "My goals are to get adopted and have a good family."
Joshua, 13
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I hope I have a kind and loving family."
Justine, 16
Virginia Kids Belong

08xx26-rtd-met-fosterkids — "I want a family to help me when I need help."
Kimberly, 15
Virginia Kids Belong

Graphics: Virginia's foster care and child welfare system

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_paths_through_system

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_back_together

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_aging_out

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_Where_now

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_new_home

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_getting_out

WEB_ONLY_#26366_082326_RTD_Foster_kinship.indd

Dave Ress (804) 649-6948

dress@timesdispatch.com

In this Series

Dave Ress stories on Virginia's child welfare system

Updated Oct 27, 2026
Scathing watchdog report highlights gaps in Virginia's child welfare system
Updated Oct 27, 2026
"Enchanted Childhood" playhouses help give voice to abused kids
Updated Oct 27, 2026
Virginia: Making kinship care happen for kids in foster care
8 updates

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