Adoption Subsidy Helps Indiana Adoptive Families

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 Governor Mike Pence and Department of Child Services Director Mary Beth Bonaventura announced that the special-needs adoption subsidy that was suspended in 2009 will be reinstated.  This comes after a lawsuit was filed on behalf of over 1,400 families who were denied this important financial support. 

The families who will receive this subsidy have adoption children from foster care and for five years have been caring for these children with no support from the State.  The kids they have adoptive have physical, behavioral and emotional needs that require therapy and medication which cost money.  Having this subsidy reinstated means the families who adopted these children will have additional financial support to help cover these costs. 

The Jeremy and Sarah Clay worked with The Villages to adopt five children from foster care.  “We were having difficulty having our own children,” Jeremy told a WISH TV Reporter. “And, we thought about adopting a baby. But, we figured out that was a long road. So, we thought about adopting a sibling group, and somehow we landed with five of them!”

When the Clays adopted their daughters they were between the ages of 7 and 11, included two sets of twins, and brought a lot of challenges.  Some of the girls need therapy and counseling, three of their daughters need orthodontics, and having five girls means they need a lot of stuff…and all of that is expensive. 

Having this subsidy means families like the Clays will have the financial resources they need to care for the special children they adopted.  For more information and to see the complete interview on WISH TV click here.