Collin County Lawmaker Says Blend of Foster Home, Youth Hostel – ‘fostel’ – Could Ease Texas CPS Crisis

AUSTIN -- A Collin County lawmaker wants to let caring adults step forward to help Child Protective Services by offering their homes as temporary lodging for children removed from their birth families.On Wednesday, McKinney GOP Rep. Scott Sanford unveiled a bill he said would ease crowding in Texas' foster care system by creating a "fostel."That would be a hybrid of foster care - the highly regulated, government-purchased "substitute care" that can last months, even years -- and a youth hostel, where short stays are routine.Sanford said he coined the phrase.  Continue reading...