$1.57 Million for Post-Adoption Services Announced
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State has awarded $1.57 million to eight programs to provide post-adoption services to families and children across the State. The funding, administered by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, represents a $570,000 increase over 2014-15.
“This action will make it easier for New Yorkers to open their home to a child in need and help provide them with the safe, stable environment they deserve,” Governor Cuomo said. “By investing in these programs, we are connecting adoptive parents to vital counseling and support programs in their community to set their children on a path towards a brighter future.”
The funding will enable programs to provide clinical mental health and family counseling, parent education and training, youth development, and other important resources to adoptive families in all five boroughs of New York City, and parts of the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, North Country, and Western New York.
Sheila J. Poole, Acting Commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services said, “These core services are designed to stabilize adoption placements and strengthen families, with the goal of giving more children a nurturing ‘forever home.’ The increased funding enables us to offer these important resources to even more areas of the State.”
The funding was allocated in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families portion of the enacted 2015-16 State Budget, and was awarded through a competitive Request for Proposals process. Families whose income is at or below 200 percent of the poverty line will be eligible for post-adoption services.
Program |
Approved Funding |
Population |
Abbott House |
$195,000 |
Dutchess and Orange counties |
Catholic Charities |
$142,500 |
Monroe County |
Children’s Home of Jefferson County |
$142,500 |
Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties |
Gustavus Adolphus |
$142,500 |
Chautauqua County |
New York Council on Adoptable Children |
$305,000 |
New York City |
Parsons Child and Family Center |
$142,500 |
Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington counties |
The Family Center* |
$305,000 |
New York City |
The Salvation Army |
$195,000 |
Onondaga County |
* Also provides services to kinship families, a living arrangement in which children in foster care live with a relative or close non-relative. In many cases, kinship caregivers adopt the children.
About OCFS
OCFS serves New York by promoting the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, families, and communities. For more information about adoption services in your area, and to find out how to adopt a child, visit ocfs.ny.gov.
OCFS maintains an active social media presence. “Like” the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Facebook page and follow @NYSOCFS on Twitter in English or the Spanish-language Twitter account, @NYSOCFS espanol.
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