SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - A local nine-year-old foster child is currently living in an emergency children's shelter.
There's an urgent need to find Knolly a home that can accommodate her wheelchair.
Knolly, who was born with a genetic disorder that affects her muscles and joints is unstoppable and doesn't let her disability keep her from getting around. She is amazingly nimble and bright.
And though she prefers to spend most of her time out of her wheelchair, she is living an emergency children's shelter right now where Knolly says she isn't as free to explore and feels safer staying in her chair.
“Because there's a lot of kids and I don't like to get hurt,” she said.
Both have been previously featured on Adopt 8, Knolly and her sister Inta are waiting to find one forever home.
“I wish I can see her every day,” said Inta. “I want to live with my sister in the same home.”
But in the meantime, the county needs to find a foster home for Knolly who had to be placed in the shelter due to the lack of foster homes that can accommodate Knolly's wheelchair.
“Because living in an emergency shelter is not the ideal situation for a child, we would much rather have her in a temporary foster home, as we continue to look for her forever home,” said Kimberly Washington, Senior Protective Services Worker and Fire Marshal Liaison.
So what are the requirements to care for someone in a wheelchair? The home needs fire clearance.
“So, for fire clearance what most houses need are fire extinguishers, exiting, those are the two big things we look at,” continued Washington.
Deputy Fire Marshal Pamela Thomas explained to CBS News 8 that to give people in a wheelchair enough time to escape a fire, the code requires the living area be separated from the sleeping area with a one hour fire rated door.
“So if you figure most fires in most residential homes happen when people are sleeping, so you're in another part of the house, if you have a door that closes, it will keep the smoke out of the sleeping areas, giving people more time to get up, get oriented and get people out of the house,” explained Thomas.
She says you also need an exit from that sleeping area, directly to the outside.
“It can be a form of a sliding glass door, it can be a regular swinging door,” noted Thomas.
Knolly, whose life is in limbo right now, wonders where she'll end up next.
“I want to have more information about what I'm going to be doing and where I'm going to be living,” said Knolly.
She says a house with tile or wood flooring would be best.
“Most of the home has to be tile, because I can't really roll on carpet,” she said.
And in typical nine year style, Knolly has this request, too:
“And it needs video games too,” she giggled.
The county says it will work with a foster or forever family that's willing to convert their home for fire clearance.
If you are interested in learning more about Knolly, or adoption and foster care in general, please call 1-877-I-ADOPT-U.