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My husband and I live in Ontario, Oregon which is a grand 6 hours from Portland where state DHS is located. 2 years ago I looked into starting the adoption process. I ended up very heartbroken and discouraged because I was told we were too far away. I was told that it would be 2 years before we could get a home study and even after that it could be years before we adopted a child in our ideal age range (0-3) even considering we are very open to adopting a child with special needs. Everyone I spoke to told me to do private adoption however the up front costs of private adoption are just too much and I am confused at where to go next.
After beginning that process and feeling very down about the answers I was getting, I suffered two major loses. I worked developmental therapy privately with a little girl both in her home and mine for 5 years who suddenly passed away April 2016. Then in February 2017 after becoming pregnant for the first time and 5 years of hoping every single month that I could have a baby, I miscarried.
My heart feels broken and it breaks even more when I know there are children out there who need homes and I am here ready for them, unable because of all the obstacles.
My husband and I have been together 10 years, married since 11-11-11 and we are beyond ready to build a family. We worked hard through my own health scares, 50+ hours a week to pay off medical bills, putting my husband through school to get his associates degree, and buying our house with room for a family. Now I just want for nothing more than to fill these empty rooms.
I have contacted Orgeon DHS again to for sure start this process regardless of the length but have not heard back from the representative for our area yet. If you have been through this adoption process with Oregon or have any advice it would mean the world to me. I feel like I am constantly not knowing who to turn to next.
Last update on June 9, 11:00 am by Jordan Gross.
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The ' Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease ' and the more you Advocate or speak out the better the results for a match!!!
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Juli Hawley
The ' Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease ' and the more you Advocate or speak out the better the results for a match!!!
Unfortunately I can't even seem to get the first steps started, let alone be hoping to get matched. DHS is the only affordable way for us to go and I am not getting responses back from them.
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Have you tried looking around for private foster care agencies to help?
This is one that I found though, I don't think they serve your area:http://boysandgirlsaid.org/adoption/foster-care-adoption/
Unfortunately Ontario is quite rural from most of Oregon. Have you considered relocating to make your adoption more plausible?
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Crystal Perkins
Have you tried looking around for private foster care agencies to help?
This is one that I found though, I don't think they serve your area:http://boysandgirlsaid.org/adoption/foster-care-adoption/
Unfortunately Ontario is quite rural from most of Oregon. Have you considered relocating to make your adoption more plausible?
I have contacted the Boys and Girls Aid and unfortunately they are out of range to help me. Relocation is not possible at this time. We just purchased our home in 2015 and homes do not sell quickly in this area at all. Not to mention we uncovered a lot of issues to the home we had to fix once we purchased it.
I do wish we would have known all of this before hand of course, we would have found a house 10 minutes away in Idaho and would not have had any issues. I cannot change that at this point though.
I do appreciate the suggestions though.
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There are adoptable kids on websites, like adoption photolisting and Tuesday's child. Not sure about Oregon but in NY, there are other agencies like the Salvation Army that does foster care/adoption.
Last update on November 17, 9:16 am by Sachin Gupta.
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millie58
There are adoptable kids on websites, like adoption photolisting and Tuesday's child. Not sure about Oregon but in NY, there are other agencies like the Salvation Army that does foster care/adoption.
Yes definitely. Of the searches I have done I have found the Boys and Girls aid and Wednesday's child. They are both in Portland :( There is a big mountain range that cut where I live off from the rest of Oregon which is why they don't come out this far. I am trying to get in contact with Idaho DHS to see if they can offer any help in the matter at all. Idaho DHS is an hour away... So close yet so far!
Last update on November 17, 9:17 am by Sachin Gupta.
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Jordan Gross
My husband and I live in Ontario, Oregon which is a grand 6 hours from Portland where state DHS is located. 2 years ago I looked into starting the adoption process. I ended up very heartbroken and discouraged because I was told we were too far away. I was told that it would be 2 years before we could get a home study and even after that it could be years before we adopted a child in our ideal age range (0-3) even considering we are very open to adopting a child with special needs. Everyone I spoke to told me to do private adoption however the up front costs of private adoption are just too much and I am confused at where to go next.
After beginning that process and feeling very down about the answers I was getting, I suffered two major loses. I worked developmental therapy privately with a little girl both in her home and mine for 5 years who suddenly passed away April 2016. Then in February 2017 after becoming pregnant for the first time and 5 years of hoping every single month that I could have a baby, I miscarried.
My heart feels broken and it breaks even more when I know there are children out there who need homes and I am here ready for them, unable because of all the obstacles.
My husband and I have been together 10 years, married since 11-11-11 and we are beyond ready to build a family. We worked hard through my own health scares, 50+ hours a week to pay off medical bills, putting my husband through school to get his associates degree, and buying our house with room for a family. Now I just want for nothing more than to fill these empty rooms.
I have contacted Orgeon DHS again to for sure start this process regardless of the length but have not heard back from the representative for our area yet. If you have been through this adoption process with Oregon or have any advice it would mean the world to me. I feel like I am constantly not knowing who to turn to next.
Adoptions are handled in Salem not Portland and my adopted children came from a rural area in Oregon. The process is long it took me over two years from the day I started until I met the children I would adopt. The children in the system needing to be adopted need parents who Do Not Give Up and are able to push past whatever stands in the way. Educating yourself about the actual system and how it works in Oregon is the first step. DHS gets a lot of calls regarding adoption and the first call is answered by a receptionist who answers those calls all day long -- with most people not being interested enough to get past that first call. -- Adoptions are handled by the county YOU live in and there is a DHS Office in Ontario there are offices in every county. The Adoption Case worker you would use is in your county and the only time you would have to leave your area would be to deal with an actual placement. Calling means nothing to DHS what means anything is to call and ask for the adoption application if you are only interested in adopting then you would need to have special needs adoption training (that might be easier to find in the metro area) My training was with the Boys and Girls Aid Society (NOT DHS). Once you have this orientation and training then you are able to start an adoption home study... that is where DHS comes once you have completed the adoption application you are assigned to a Permanency Case Manager who handles the home study and works with you until a match is made. In some cases, there is a committee meeting in Salem to determine the best placement for children -- but, YOU would not even be able to attend that meeting even if you wanted to! We never left our home during our process and the committee met and my children were placed with me a month later we drove to meet them and bring them home. DHS does not have time to deal with Lookie-Lous so they spend their time dealing with familiies that have requested and returned the adoption applications.
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