Part one of a two-part series

The foster care system in Haywood County is facing a dilemma.

Rising numbers of children entering foster care have caused a $342,000 funding shortage in the budget for the remainder of the fiscal year (March through June 2013).

At the county commissioners meeting last week, Haywood County Department of Social Services Director Ira Dove explained that the projected funds originally budgeted for foster care in the county — an amount of about $1.69 million — is falling short of the actual need. The unexpected influx of children to the foster care system is because of several factors, including an increase in substance abuse issues in homes with children and a number of children being moved from therapeutic care at Smoky Mountain Center into foster care under DSS.