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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

CoastLine: At-Risk Youth Numbers On The Rise

In New Hanover County alone, which has an estimated population of about 220,000 people, more than 1100 kids are served by programs through the Brigade Boys and Girls Club. 

Two-and-a-half years ago, 352 children were in the foster care program in New Hanover County.  Today, the number is closer to 450 – with county staff reporting an across-the-board increase over the last year-and-a-half.  When we last addressed this topic more than two years ago, officials could not clearly identify the reasons for the spike that had already begun.  Today, they hold up the opioid epidemic as a prime factor. 

Guests:

Brian Bocnuk, Social Services Manager specializing in Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, New Hanover County Department of Social Services

Rick Sears, Chief Executive Officer, Brigade Boys & Girls Club

Resources:

Brigade Boys & Girls Clubhttp://brigadebgc.org/

Foster Care Services in New Hanover County:  https://socialservices.nhcgov.com/foster-care/

Foster Care Services in Brunswick County: http://www.brunswickcountync.gov/social-services/foster/

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.