TOLEDO, Ohio — Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) used Lucas County Children Services as a backdrop Tuesday to introduce a proposed bill to increase funding for child welfare, in case family members of those struggling with addiction have to raise their kids.
"To me, there are fewer things more important than seeing what Robin Reese and others have done, and northwest Ohio and Lucas County ought to step up and help these families," Brown said.
He was referencing families who have been split up or challenged by the opioid crisis.
That includes Mindy Delvaux, who took in her niece's 16-month-old daughter after her niece overdosed. It was originally on a temporary basis, but not for long.
"I end up adopting my great niece so this way I have more control over it," Delvaux said. "And then we just got into a rhythm and a thing going together, and then I got the phone call going, 'Mom is gonna be having another baby. Would you be interested in taking the child?'"
It turned out she was interested and now has two kids to take care of. But the doubling of kin did not mean two-times the funding from the government. That's what Brown's bill is aimed at changing.
"Often times in child protection, sometimes we see poverty and it's interpreted as neglect," LCCS director Robin Reese said. "This will allow us to put services in the homes of families rather than moving kids and then putting the services in the foster home."
"It would help alleviate a lot of the stress," Delvaux added. "I'm wondering when we're gonna be able to pay for stuff so I can continue my job and working and providing for two children."
This legislation would follow a recently-enacted law that aimed to help grandparents raise their grandchildren.
Simply put, according to Reese: it's a transition.
"This act is moving us from placing children to prevention," she said.
Brown said his bill has support from outside organizations, but it's unclear if his congressional colleagues will support funding the initiative.