FAMILY TAPESTRY

The departure of CEO Annette Rodriguez, who led The Children's Shelter for the past decade, caps off a tumultuous year for the organization.

Children in the custody of the state are no longer allowed to be housed at The Children’s Shelter after the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services terminated its contract with the shelter for its General Residential Operation.

This episode examines how a state foster care system with 15,000 children is supposed to work, the ways it’s currently failing and what you can do to help.

Local nonprofit The Children's Shelter will lay off its Family Tapestry division.

On Wednesday’s KSAT Q&A, Steve Spreister and Myra Arthur spoke with Sondra Ajasin, CEO and Founder of Trulight127 Ministries, about the state removing foster children from the care of Family Tapestry.

As a flurry of bills were being discussed at the Texas Legislature last week, even state representatives were forced to acknowledge our current foster care quandary: how do you continue to streamline and privatize the system while also increasing oversight of it?

State officials knew children were being illegally housed in an unlicensed facility but did not notify the court, despite a mandate from a federal court judge that came as part of a decade-long class action lawsuit against the state on the behalf of foster children.

A state-wide non-profit dedicated to helping child and youth serving organizations believes a start to improving the foster care system is understanding the challenges that cause community-based care programs to close down.

A DFPS spokesman was unable to definitively say when the contract would end but said the state would be taking over that role until “if and when” they decide to put the contract out for bid again.

Family Tapestry, the wing of The Children’s Shelter responsible for its community-based care initiative, has canceled its contract with the Department of Family and Protective Services, a DFPS spokesperson confirmed late Monday.

Children’s Shelter furloughs nearly 70 workers after emergency shelter put on hold by state, furlough to go into effect on May 5.

The Children’s Shelter in San Antonio has until 5 p.m. Monday to find new homes for its children after the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services issued a placement hold due to “unacceptable” conditions and an ongoing capacity problem.

SAN ANTONIO – Right now in Bexar County, more than 200 kids are waiting to be adopted. Family Tapestry has launched a new website hoping to make the process easier for potential families and also as a way for the kids to share their own stories. Texas Adoption Portal or TAP launched last month and features a profile page for every kid with what they are interested in, details about their personalities as well as information about their needs. “It’s not just about featuring them,” chief public relations officer for Family Tapestry and The Children’s Shelter Anai Biera Miracle said. Family Tapestry is hoping the portal makes it easier for potential families to step up and give some of these kids a forever home.

Ramirez, who was in the foster care system throughout her life, said she was not prepared for what she would face as a first-year university student. At 29, Ramirez is now a mentor to other foster care kids as part of the new Learning Independence Fosters Empowerment program (LIFE). “This is a coaching program that helps them create a plan.”Mahan says 45 local foster care youths have signed up for the program that started in September. The program is partly funded through Family Tapestry and legislative funds distributed through the county’s Fostering Success pilot program. Related: Federal judge says she will again hold Texas in contempt of court for failing to meet foster care reforms