Adopting a Foster Child in Arizona Archives

Adopting Foster Children is Truly Life-Changing

Posted on September 15, 2023September 15, 2023 by Victoria Isaac

Interested in adopting foster children? Many people are unaware of the experiences of foster children in the United States. Children are removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system when it is unsafe for them to remain at home. Parental rights are severed by the state they reside in when the child has suﬀered abuse or neglect, the parents or caregivers do not correct the behavior, and it is not safe for the child to remain in the home.

When abused children are placed in foster care, they are heartbroken and frightened. When parental rights are severed and the child becomes a ward of the state, they are raised within the foster care system. Without loving parents and a stable home, foster children move an average of three times per year, sometimes to foster families’ homes and sometimes to group homes. Each time a foster child moves, the adult relationships, friendships, and often their school change. The lack of consistent, loving relationships makes it increasingly diﬃcult to love and trust others. Adopting foster children gives them precisely what every child needs – a forever family and a safe, nurturing environment to grow up in.

Adopting Foster Children Provides a Future

When children are not adopted and grow up in foster care, the odds of successful adult life are not in their favor. When children turn eighteen, they legally “age out” of the system and face life without a family support system. Each year, an average of 20,000 youth age out of the system. When this occurs, they are at extremely high risk for substance abuse, homelessness, mental health challenges, and more. The statistics create a powerful case for the absolute necessity of adopting foster children and the fact that adoption truly changes a foster child’s future.

You are invited to attend one of our convenient online adoption seminars. The seminars will provide information on foster, newborn, and Haiti adoptions. Find out dates and times HERE. Building Arizona is an internationally Hague-accredited, Arizona-licensed adoption agency with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Please reach out at any time. You can call our oﬃces at 623.936.4729 or e-mail us at [email protected]. We Are Their Future would love to serve you and your family.

Adopting Foster Children Before They Age Out of Foster Care System

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Victoria Isaac

Over 20,000 young adults age out of the foster care system each year in the United States. Aging out of the foster care system means a child turned 18 and was never given the opportunity to have a loving and full life with an adoptive family. In Arizona, there are currently over 900 teenagers about to age out of foster care who will face the scary realities in the world alone. Teenagers that age out of the foster care system face devastating life experiences. Many find themselves in a life full of drugs, abuse, and homelessness, ill-equipped for the dangers of the world. Adopting foster children can help children or teens change their lives, grow in a healthy and loving environment, and enjoy a prosperous adult life.

Foster Kids are Big Dreamers and Have Beautiful Aspirations Too

Did you know over 70% of foster youth around the age of seventeen aspire to go to college? Even though they have experienced many heartbreaking situations, 70% of foster kids are passionate about changing their life and making a difference. Though the odds are stacked against teens in foster care, every teenager deserves the opportunity to follow their dreams and feel supported. Over 13,000 foster children in Arizona right now are questioning what their future holds. You can provide the opportunity for one or more of these children to be surrounded with love, support, and safety in their homes.

The Scary Realities of Aging Out of Foster Care

Up to 36% of youths who age out of foster care become homeless during the transition to adulthood. Many of these teenagers have suffered post-traumatic stress by being removed from their biological family and constantly moving from one set of unfamiliar people and places to another, some for their entire childhood until they age out of foster care at 18 years old.

71% of teenagers who were never adopted by a forever family will make less than $25,000 a year. The struggle to have stable employment is drastically impacted by education level, lack of reliable transportation, lack of references, and experience due to circumstances teens face in foster care.

7 in 10 girls who age out of foster care will become pregnant before the age of 21. This incredibly high number of unplanned pregnancies is related to factors girls growing up in foster care have experienced including abuse, neglect, poverty, family disruption, and general instability.

Children who experience life in foster care, especially ones who sadly age out, have a very high likelihood of developing a substance use dependence. According to research, it is believed that 1 out of 2 young adults who age out of foster care will struggle with addiction. Foster youth who have aged out also have a much higher chance of becoming incarcerated.

How the Forever Families U.S. Program at Building Arizona Families can Change Lives

Thousands of youth all over the country are quickly approaching the day they turn 18 and age out of the foster care system. They need a loving family now. Building Arizona Families, a licensed, non-profit adoption agency in Arizona, offers the Forever Families U.S. Program to facilitate the adoption of foster children by families living in Arizona. Starting this journey can begin to change the lives of foster kids and teens.

This program gives Arizona adoptive families the possibility to adopt foster children through direct adoption placement without becoming foster-certified. It is a less expensive and faster adoption process than private adoption. Find out more information about the foster adoption program requirements, fees, and time frame for the Forever Families U.S. Program at Building Arizona Families, HERE.

Adopting Foster Children can Change the Course of a Teenager’s Life Before They are Faced with Aging Out of Foster Care

Building Arizona Families invites Arizona families to consider adopting foster children in Arizona and around the United States. Remember, contrary to what many people believe, you do not have to be a foster parent before adopting foster children in Arizona. We will help walk you through the direct adoption of children in the foster care system. Download our foster child adoption info kit HERE.

We also invite you to attend one of our informative adoption seminars. You can reach out to Ixcel Baca, Program Coordinator, directly and ask any questions you might have. Ixcel would love to hear from you! You can reach Ixcel at (623) 696-9537 or by e-mailing her at [email protected]. Learn more about the Forever Families program Building Arizona Families offers to adopt foster children HERE. You can change the life of a foster child forever!

Source –

https://www.fosterclub.com/national-foster-care-month

https://www.nfyi.org/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster-care-statistics-social-race-media/

https://dcs.az.gov/news-reports/dcs-reports

Adopting Foster Children in Arizona Fills the Missing Piece in Families

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Victoria Isaac

The holidays can be a very difficult time of year for children in foster care. They long to be part of a stable forever family and a safe, loving home. There are thousands of children hoping and praying someone will love them forever and give them a place to belong. There are over 13,000 foster children in Arizona alone and approximately 500,000 nationwide. Adopting foster children in Arizona gives them a home to celebrate birthdays, learn how to ride a bike, and have a chance to hope for a future they want.

Jessica and Chris Filled the Missing Piece in Their Family by Adopting a Foster Child in Arizona

Jessica and Chris are Arizonans who were able to change the life of a foster child forever. You can watch them share their adoption journey on our Youtube Channel, HERE. In the video, Jessica shares that she was adopted at birth. Her mother would always tell her she was not born in her womb, but her heart. Jessica knew one day she wanted to bless the life of a child in need and give them a forever family. After Jessica and Chris learned they were not able to conceive a child, they immediately knew adoption was the way they would fill the missing piece in their family. And that missing piece was Raiden.

“Raiden was an answer to our prayers. We couldn’t have asked for a better blessing,” gushed Chris. Chris also shares that times may not have always been easy, but they were fortunate enough to have Building Arizona Families walking them through the adoption process. Raiden was living in the foster care system in Texas, and Building Arizona Families was able to connect Chris, Jessica, and Raiden and provide the support and guidance needed while adopting Raiden.

Building Arizona Families Helps Connect Forever Families

No matter the adoption journey, whether it’s an Arizona family adopting Arizona foster children or foster children anywhere in the US, adoption is always beautiful! Raiden was the missing piece in Jessica and Chris’s life, and now he has his very own forever family. But there are still thousands of foster children in Arizona and around the U.S. waiting to meet their forever family. Find out how you can help at We Are Their Future, HERE.

Building Arizona Families believes every child deserves to grow up in a forever family. Will you be the answer to a child’s hopeful prayer? Contact Building Arizona Families today, and we can help you begin to build your new family. We will help you walk through the direct adoption of children in the foster care system without the need to adopt first. Download our foster child adoption info kit HERE. We also invite you to attend one of our informative adoption seminars. You can reach out to Ixcel Baca, Program Coordinator, directly and ask any questions you might have. Ixcel would love to hear from you! You can reach Ixcel at (623) 696-9537 or by e-mailing her at [email protected].