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Texas foster care agency leaves employees, foster parents high and dry

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Published  June 23, 2023 9:54pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 26 Houston

Houston foster care agency contract terminated

An agency that licensed foster parents all over Texas leaves its employees and foster parents high and dry. FOX 26's Randy Wallace shares more on the story.

HOUSTON - "It happened so suddenly," said Carla McGowen Regional Director for Lonestar Social Services. "I was hiring new people and they started working them all of a sudden they don't have jobs."

Lonestar Social Services has offices all over the state including one in Houston. The agency had a contract with the state to train foster parents, place children with them, and reimburse them.

"It really hurts a lot of foster parents for it to come out of their pocket if they can," said foster parent Yolanda Welford.

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Yolanda says Lonestar Social Services owes her more than $10,000.

"It upsets me because you have to dig into your savings, or you have to go back to work to make sure they have everything," she said. "They're not yours but they're like yours."

In a letter, Lonestar told employees they decided to end the contract with CPS.

"We end up finding out they're not ending the contract, CPS is ending it," said Lonestar Case Manager Tiffany Tillmon.

According to this letter from Texas Health and Human Services from April 10, 2018 through May 18, 2023, Lonestar Social Services had 349 deficiencies.

In a five-year period from April 10, 2018, through May 18 of this year, there were 12 abuse/neglect findings.

The Office of Inspector General is now investigating.

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"Hey, am I going to get a paycheck or anything like that, and there was nothing crickets no answer at all," said McGowen

In addition to not reimbursing foster families Lonestar Social Services stiffed its own employees.

"And I had to reach into my 401k," said Tilmon. "I've got to think about my babies back home how am I going to keep a roof over their heads."

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All the foster parents throughout Texas licensed by Lonestar Social Services must now get licensed all over again.

It's not known how many are still waiting on payments.

CPS says no children were removed from their foster homes.

Lonestar Social Services has yet to respond to our email seeking their response.