HOAA News

What's happening, stories, and updates.

Author

Dr. Brigette Schupay
June 26, 2025

Adoption News

What Stops Families from Adopting?

We ask this question EVERY DAY at HOAA. Thanks to the outstanding work of the National Council for Adoption, we now have a better understanding of why families don’t complete adoptions (read the full article).

First and foremost, families believe they can’t afford to adopt. Fortunately, numerous resources are available to help offset the costs, including grants, tax credits, employer benefits, and fundraising opportunities. These tools can make adoption more affordable and accessible, especially for families pursuing domestic or foster care adoption.

Adoption grants are one of the most popular forms of financial assistance. Families can apply to multiple grant providers, such as Helpusadopt.org, Gift of Adoption, or the National Adoption Foundation. Each organization has its application process and eligibility requirements, often considering factors such as income, the type of adoption being pursued, and financial need. While competitive, grants can provide thousands of dollars in assistance.

In addition to grants, many families benefit from the Federal Adoption Tax Credit, which can provide up to several thousand dollars in tax relief for qualified adoption expenses. Some employers also offer adoption assistance benefits, including reimbursement for certain expenses or paid leave, so it’s always worth checking with your HR department. Families can also raise funds through peer-to-peer campaigns, sharing their story to invite community support.

State agency employees, veterans, service members, law enforcement officers, tax collector employees, and health care practitioners in Florida are eligible for a $25,000 lump sum payment if they adopt a child from foster care.

Combining these resources—grants, tax credits, employer benefits, and fundraising—can significantly reduce or even eliminate the out-of-pocket cost of adoption. With some research and planning, financial concerns don’t have to stand in the way of growing your family through adoption.

Hearts behind the Mission

Keeping Our Dream Alive

We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support we've received through these recent donations.

Without the support of our community, HOAA would not exist. We are always humbled when we receive funding to support our mission. There are so many worthwhile organizations doing fantastic work, so we take our gifts very seriously.

HOAA recently received a $5,000 donation from the Krewe of Queen Anne’s Revenge to provide home study scholarships to four adoptive families.

We also received a $10,000 donation from the Page Hill Foundation this month to cover the cost of Search and Support services for four lucky families.

We will announce the application processes and eligibility requirements soon, so stay tuned.

Finances should never be a barrier to adopting a child.

Lastly, to our surprise, we were gifted $2,500 from the Lightning Foundation. A special thank you to their Executive Director, Elizabeth Frazier, for always believing in our work. HOAA board members Jeanne Tate and Erica Healey accepted the gift on HOAA’s behalf.

Family Updates

Finally Home (for Good)

2025 has been an outstanding year so far for HOAA families. Six children have finalized their adoptions, and another five children have found the family they were dreaming about.

The V. Family was matched with a 13-year-old teen who experienced placement instability for more than ten years, and spent the last year in foster care. She will finally have the peace of staying put and establishing roots.

The C. Family was matched with siblings, ages 9 and 7, who spent nearly two years in foster care.

The A. Family was matched with a 16-year-old teen, who has been in foster care for 7 months.

This month, T. (age 6), moved into her new home with the K. family after nearly three years in foster care.

Congrats to all these families - we are excited for what the future holds for these children!

The M Family - Finalized

The M Family - Finalized!

The P Family - Finalized!

Parenting Tips

Strengthening Your Family Webinar

Interventions for Working with Traumatized Children, Teens, and Families in Foster Care and Adoption

Thursday, July 17th, 2025 | 1:00PM – 2:30PM EST 

This FREE live interactive webinar introduces participants to creative and effective approaches for parenting traumatized children. Participants will learn targeted interventions designed to foster emotional regulation, create narratives, and strengthen attachment, bonding, and family resilience.

The webinar offers a variety of proven methods for working with children aged five and older, with step-by-step instructions, structured activities, examples, and required materials for each intervention.

*Use coupon code INTERVENTIONS to receive free registration at checkout.

Get involved

Send us your recipes!

We need your recipes and stories for our first-ever HOAA cookbook! Whether it's your grandmother’s apple cheesecake or your favorite holiday side dish, we want to share what makes family- great food! Send us your best recipes and any bits of parenting advice or adoption wisdom.

Thanks for reading.

💛 HOAA

P.S.

New here? Are you interested in learning more about adopting from foster care? Want to volunteer? Email us today - so many children need your help!