Children in foster care need families they can count on. Reunification with their biological family is often the goal. When reunification is not possible, adoption can offer a permanent home. Every child deserves to be loved, cared for, and seen beyond the struggles of the past and into the promise of the future.
Every year, thousands of children wait for this stable home. In 2024, 34,817 children eligible for adoption remained in foster care, even though adoption was identified as their path to a permanent home. Roughly 66% of these children will likely age out of the foster care system without being adopted or having a stable family.
34,817
children eligible for adoption
remained in foster care
Those who become legal adults without a forever family face immense challenges in building security, safety, and success. For many children who age out of foster care, these challenges become insurmountable.
Did you know that up to 46% of youth who exit foster care without a permanent home will experience homelessness by the time they turn 26? For the children currently waiting for adoption, that statistic could become their reality. Thankfully, we can change that trajectory.
November is National Adoption Month, an opportunity to help children find lasting family connections. Adoption can break cycles of trauma and usher in brighter tomorrows filled with hope, love, and freedom for vulnerable children.
Brooke Finds Her Voice
Brooke’s* childhood was marked by exploitation, instability, and unimaginable loss. Trafficked by her own biological parents, she endured years of abuse before she was finally rescued and placed in foster care.
But safety didn’t immediately bring healing. Brooke moved from home to home, carrying the weight of deep trauma and the ache of feeling unseen. Though she was told her voice mattered, she rarely felt that anyone truly listened. With every move, she felt powerless, more invisible, and more alone.
Yet even in the darkest chapters, God was at work. Though Brooke couldn’t see it then, the Author of Life was already rewriting her story into one of hope, healing, and freedom.
Everything changed when Brooke entered Macie’s* home. What was intended to be a five-day respite stay became the turning point that changed her life. Sitting with her foster mom, together they shared her story:
“When I entered [foster] care I was told my voice mattered, but there was no evidence anyone heard me. Then, I was moved to respite care for five days. Another transition that was not my choice. What I didn’t know is that God had His hand on that placement and it was a place that I would soon come to call home.
On my second day, I asked my respite caregiver, Macie, if there was any way that I could stay with her. She told me she would love for me to stay but we had to see if it was possible. I asked Macie to reach out to her team at One More Child to see if someone could help. A team was created to help me advocate for my wants and needs.
The day I thought I would return to my previous placement turned into a day I retrieved my things to move into my new home. Without the extra support from One More Child, I am not sure if my voice would have been heard. They helped me change my life.”
Brooke has flourished in Macie’s home ever since. What began as a temporary placement became a forever family when Macie chose to adopt Brooke. After years of uncertainty, Brooke finally experienced what every child deserved: the security of being deeply loved, chosen, and empowered.
By God’s grace and through the faithful advocacy of One More Child’s team, Brooke found her voice, her healing, and the family she had always longed for. Today, her story stands as a reminder that God is still in the business of redemption, bringing beauty from brokenness, and hope where it once seemed impossible.
*Names and photo changed for privacy.
Join the Story
We are grateful for God’s redemption in Brooke’s life, and we celebrate her new future founded in the freedom of Jesus!
But even as we celebrate, our heart beats for one more. One more foster child who, just like Brooke, is waiting for someone to see her, hear her voice, and welcome her as forever family.
Right now, tens of thousands of children are waiting for adoption. They are wondering if a forever family will ever come for them. Jesus has a heart for every child who waits. He promised to come for the lonely:
“’I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ‘”
John 14:18 (NIV)
Now He invites you to be part of how that promise comes true. Will you open your heart and home to one more child, just as Jesus welcomed you into His forever family?