In the last 26 years, I have witnessed my share of policy changes and shifts in the dependency system, but one constant remains unchanged: the desperate need for foster homes. The sheer numbers are staggering and disheartening. In Los Angeles County alone, approximately 30,000 children are caught in the intricate web of the foster care…
Left to right: HFS Adoptee Chuck with all four of his half siblings Cassandra, Marina (mom), Jessica, Sarah and Kevin. HFS is responsible by law to physically keep adoption files in paper for 99 years. Since the agency has been around since 1949, that means it “still has” every adoption file that has come through…
There are approximately 60,000 children in California who are in foster care. Los Angeles County has the majority at 33,000, but Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside are also seeing increases in their numbers now that children are back at school and interacting with mandated reporters on a day-to-day basis. Riverside County has seen their foster…
About our Fost-Adopt Program Our Fost-Adopt program was created to bridge the gap between a child’s initial need for temporary care and the long-term need for a permanent home. HFS works with public social services to assist in these placements. In California, foster parents are now called Resource Parents. Even if you are only interested…
If you’ve ever had a calling to make a difference in the world, there’s no greater way than making a difference in a child’s life. Among the most vulnerable members of communities across the country are foster children. These are children who, based on life circumstances, face conditions at home that threaten their health and…
Pictured from the Adoption Guild December 2019 Gathering (L to R): HFS staff Linda Shirley, parents Susan and Leroy, brother Devon, baby Dane, and HFS Board members Marianne Wright, Deno Kidde and Maura Lemon. Leroy and Susan have always known that they wanted to adopt a child. Many of their friends have gone through the adoption process…
Hoping to build upon the wonderful family experience they already had, Alene and Melissa Campbell–Langdell began their journey of planning to adopt. Early on in the process, infant adoption seemed the perfect option for them; but as they continued their research, they learned that over 62,000 children are currently waiting in the foster care system…