In examining the placement process, discussion focuses on the following: who the young people were; why foster care was considered an appropriate choice; working with the natural family; who makes a good foster parent; the steps involved in becoming a licensed foster parent; the three phases of a foster placement with Lashone and her single foster parent Barbara -- the honeymoon phase, testing, and commitment; supervision meetings; family counseling; advocacy; moving on from the foster care placement; and aftercare. The long-term alternative foster family placement program was developed in response to the need of some young people for a secure place to live for longer than the runaway house can provide, for an alternative to settings which label and treat them as 'psychotic' or 'incorrigible,' and for an alternative to families and groups that were unprepared to deal with their problems. For young people like Lashone who feel they have no choice, carefully planned and supervised flexible foster placements can make an enormous difference.