When Christen Gallik began working in social services 22 years ago, the City of Fredericksburg averaged between 18 and 20 children in foster care at any given time.
Now, that number is approaching 80 — and has nearly doubled in the past five years.
That was the most jarring figure from a presentation that Gallik and Kristin Shores, the Children’s Services Act coordinator, delivered to city council during a work session on Tuesday night.
In fiscal year 2022, there were 44 children in foster care in the city; for the current fiscal year, that has jumped to 80.
“Our service population is very unpredictable, very volatile,” Shores said. “It can change at the drop of a hat.”
Similar growth can be seen in the overall number of children who received CSA services. The program, which is self-sufficient and receives funding from both the state (66%) and the city (34%), currently serves 105 children, up from 69 in 2022.
The program’s expenditures have also grown, from about $2.4 million in 2022 to a projected $5 million for the current fiscal year. The city budgeted about $1.5 million for CSA in the approved FY26 budget, however, “We are in need of some more money,” Shores told councilors on Tuesday.
In response to a question from Mayor Kerry Devine, Shores estimated that the average age of children in CSA’s care currently is around 13 to 15.
“It’s definitely older, and the older the youth, generally the more costly, given the services that they have,” she said.
Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley said that staff will prepare a FY26 budget amendment for city council’s consideration in the coming weeks. The current version of the proposed FY27 budget calls for a more than $1.8 million transfer to CSA.
Besides foster care, CSA also provides services to children requiring private day school and out-of-home placements such as institutions. In FY26, the city spent $1.8 million and $959,565 on these services, respectively.
“I will say, our schools do a great job of keeping kids out of private day placements,” Shores said.
At-large Councilor Jannan Holmes, who serves on the city’s Community Policy and Management Team for youth and family services and also provides mental health services, noted that behavioral needs in public schools have also become more acute in recent years.
“Some of the kids who are served within the schools, 15 years ago, they would probably be an out-of-school placement,” Holmes said.
