We adopted a three year old little boy through foster care this last Friday. He's been living with us since April 2011. He had a REALLY tough past - almost as tough as you could imagine from a neglect stand point.
He will likely be mentally and emotionally scarred for the rest of his life.
The adoption of a special needs child through foster care includes a $13K refundable federal tax credit (see my related post in the SA forums).
The tax refund is meant as an incentive to get these children into safe and loving homes. We would have adopted without the tax credit, but it sure is nice.
If anyone is interested in learning more about foster care or adoption through fostering, feel free to PM me through my SA account.
It's tough, hard, work through a bureaucratic maze. But there are 20,000 children in Michigan alone who need safe, loving, nurturing homes, or just plain a chance in this world.
Our adoption story
January 1st, 2012 at 12:47 pm
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In California they pay you handsomely to do foster-to-adopt. (Provide diapers, formulas, stipends "for life," medical care, other services, etc.). I know several people who were PAID to adopt newborns. My dh's cousin received a newborn the day he was born. (They could not have kids, and spent a FORTUNE for about a decade trying to - of course they wanted a huge family - they adopted 3 kids and had one through a surrogate when they gave up on the medical side. Medical/surrogacy didn't leave a lot of money for adoption route - but these are very unique people who had already taken in a troubled child and I always felt it was pretty *meant to be* - I don't think everyone could handle it, but they sure can). Anyway, they had originally just adopted a troubled neighbor's kid many years ago - the cousin, who later married - but when they entered the foster system they received a baby day he was born - adopted him within the year and eventually adopted his baby sister who they have also had since day 1. Those babies also had problems that will affect them for life due to drug addiction, BUT the state will pay you simply to adopt a "minority." You don't have to take the troubled children, and they apparently have trouble even giving away newborns. After watching so many people pay fortunes to adopt kids here and in other countries it has been real eye opening to see just how many unwanted kids there are out in our own backyard. Anyway, I used to babysit for a single woman who had adopted a crack baby (also a newborn). I now understand it was probably a foster-to-adopt situation.
Anyway, I think anyone considering adoption should seek out their foster-to-adopt options. It is not for everyone, but you may have the option to adopt a perfectly healthy newborn and get paid to do so. Or maybe it would be worth the savings to help out and adopt a baby that no one else wants. Certainly worth looking into.
January 1st, 2012 at 03:54 pm 1325433288
Just to add---foster and adoption supports are fading in some states due to the legislatures having to reshuffle the budget what with the decreased tax revenues. My state no longer provides support payments to relatives who foster. Take in your great niece's baby?--Sorry, you're on your own. Hope you have the bucks for counseling and healthcare besides all the daily stuff.
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