It is not my custom to write letters to the editor. However, in this case I feel strongly enough about the subject to express my viewpoint for what it’s worth.

I am writing in response to Sallie Smith’s Aug. 5 letter in the Sunday Telegram regarding the fact of DHHS being extremely understaffed and the caseworkers overburdened.

She also mentions the lack of foster families. I do not dispute either statement; and I believe that we all know the reasons for the lack of staffing, but what is the reason for the lack of “qualified” foster families?

Is it because no one is stepping up, or is it because the requirements are too difficult for an average Maine family to meet?

Several years ago, my husband and I tried to become foster parents and were rejected due to the fact that our home was not large enough, and apparently neither were our pocketbooks.

Our home is modest, but clean and most importantly, full of love. Love that we would have liked to have shared with a child in need of a stable home environment.

It seems to me that many of these children come from way less than what we had to offer in terms of healthy, safe and loving home.

Perhaps we should put less emphasis on the size of a perspective foster parent’s pocketbook and more on the size of their heart. Maybe then we could start to solve the problem.

Brenda Genthner

Rockland

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