According to a study reported on by the Foundation for Foster Children, nearly 60 children will be taken from their homes and placed in foster care in Central Florida in the span of a month. Out of these children, only 60% will graduate from high school. Over 20% will become homeless after 18, and 25% will end up in the criminal justice system by 24. When accounting for all children within the United States foster care system, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder rates are twice as high as combat veterans.
Fortunately, there are organizations throughout the country devoted to providing resources for children and families. Here are five Orlando nonprofits that offer foster care and adoption resources.
Children’s Home Society of Florida
Children’s Home Society of Florida is building bridges to success in a world where children realize their full potential. They offer foster care, adoption, independent living, and teen mom support services. Their foster service resource includes a step-by-step process and requirement checklist. From there, they offer an application form and move you forward with a home study. Their adoption service will help families looking to adopt out of foster care or through a private agency.
A Chosen Child
Formed in 2000, this faith-based nonprofit adoption agency works with birth and adoptive parents in and outside the state of Florida. A Chosen Child offers a simple two-step application process, which includes a home study with a social worker and an adoption application form. They help arrange all types of adoptions, closed, semi-closed, or open. They also offer transitional services for birth and adoptive parents. Learn more about their adoption process here.
Sunshine State Adoption & Home Study Services
This faith-based Central Florida nonprofit adoption agency offers an abundance of resources ranging from adoption placement, post-adoption counseling, and home studies. Sunshine State Adoption & Home Study Services offer three kinds of adoptions:
– Domestic adoptions. These adoptions are from within the United States, and more specifically, the state of Florida.
– International adoptions. This service connects families with international agencies and works with travel accommodations and language skills for the child.
– Foster adoptions. As we know, there are hundreds of thousands of children in the US foster care system. This service helps connect families with those children.
Central Florida Children’s Home
A Christian nonprofit that is solely funded by the community and volunteers. Central Florida Children’s Home offers fostering services for children whose parents cannot or will not provide for them given a set of circumstances in the child’s or parent’s life. Their faith-based community offers a Christian atmosphere. They are always looking for volunteers to help with meal preparations and education services. Currently, they have an Amazon Pantry wish-list where donors can purchase items and have them shipped directly to CFCH.
Foundation For Foster Children
Many foster care children fall through the cracks in the system, eventually resulting in unemployment, education dropouts, and criminal behavior. Foundation for Foster Children is a nonprofit that dedicates time and resources to children in the foster care system ages 0-23 who have lived or are currently living with foster families. They formed to fight statistics impressed on foster children, providing them with professional, educational, and mental health resources.
Many children and families need support from people like you. Visit any of these nonprofits to donate or get involved. Your time and contribution could change a child or family’s life forever.
