A Place to Call Home

Amirah waited 842 days for her forever home. The emotional highs and lows leading to foster care would take their toll on any seven-year-old, but she was resilient. After only a couple of years with her foster family, they offered her a proposal, “Would you like us to adopt you, and would you adopt us?” With that, Amirah finally had what every child wants – to be loved and to belong. On September 28th, 2017, Amirah “adopted” her new parents and three siblings.

Her new mom said the process opened the family’s eyes to a great need, “There’s a lot of kids out there that just need love. They just need a parent. They just need someone to trust.” They just need someone to answer the high calling of foster care.

Nearly 4,500 Arizona families have answered that call and currently care for children in need of a home. As many as 19,000 children a year seek foster families in Arizona. Clearly, the need far outweighs the willingness to serve.

Not all foster children are looking for a new forever home. Many simply need safe, temporary housing and care, while their parents get any help they need in order to provide that stable environment every child deserves.

Amirah’s parents chose first to foster, then to adopt. Their gratitude to be adopted into God’s family through Christ compelled them to extend that grace to Amirah. Watch their story and others here.

Earlier this month, Governor Doug Ducey called upon the compassion of Arizonans to open their hearts and homes to the needs of children in his Foster Care Awareness Month Proclamation.

Resources

No one who fosters a child in need does it alone. The state, churches, and several organizations provide help through every step along the way.

  • Christian Family Care provides resources, information, and training for perspective foster families.
  • AZ127 also provides resources and detailed information about the process, including basic training and support groups.
  • Arizona law provides for a number of benefits for foster families, including the CAP-supported law making foster children eligible for the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) ESAs help families pay for a variety of educational options beyond the public school system.

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