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Originally Posted By rene'e

My husband and I want to adopt out of Foster Care. We are not licensed foster parents. We have 3 boys that we got the "old fashioned" way. Two of those have special needs/challenges. After 2 1/2 years of planning, research, and waiting we are ready and decided on foster child adoptions.

Our problem: we live in Michigan and there are hardly any kids up for adoption in the system here. The ones available are really not a fit for our family. We have found children in Kansas that we are highly interested in. But, Michigan state agencies won't cooperate with getting us our homestudy. We don't even tell them we are interested in interstate adoption. They just know that they don't have any kids and so they don't want bother with us. We are so discouragead and no way are we going to pay a private agency $2500 for a homestudy. What gives? The lady at the Family Independance Agency spent at least 15 minutes basically trying to discourage me from being interested in adoption. I was so shocked.

Has anyone had any experience with interstate adoptions as a Michigan resident? We won't give up but we can sure use some guidance. I can't believe that agencies are not doing whatever they can to help us. We want to adopt older girls or sibling girls where one is older. We want to adopt 2 girls and have at least one be at an age that is considered hard to place. With all the kids out there needing homes that are permanent, why aren't agencies willing to do anything to help an interested couple when they get one?

Please help/direct/guide/advise/

Thank you and God Bless,
Rene'e (mom of 3: 2 1/2, 4, 10 1/2)