November 17, 2023 – El Paso County Commissioners approved a Proclamation recognizing November as National Adoption Month at their regular meeting Tuesday honoring adoptive families, staff and organizations supporting adoption.
“It is with genuine appreciation that we recognize all El Paso County adoptive parents and the many dedicated adoption professionals,” said Commissioner Chair Cami Bremer as she read the Proclamation into the record.
El Paso County Department of Human Services (DHS) completed 576 adoptions for children in kinship care or foster care over the last five years, and of those, 275 were kin or kin-like adoptions. In the past five years, DHS completed 107 adoptions for youth aged 10 or older.
“Thank you to our families who have adopted. We appreciate anyone who opens their hearts,” said Commissioner Holly Williams.
Through October of this year, 65 adoptions have been completed, and there is an active search for adoptive families for 23 El Paso County children.
“Our kids are precious,” said Commissioner Vice Chair Carrie Geitner. “Each one of them deserves an opportunity to live and thrive in a family.”
National Adoption Month has been recognized for more than three decades as a collective national effort to raise awareness of the more than 113,000 children in foster care across the United States waiting to find permanent, loving families.
“There is more than one type of life circumstance or situation that leads a family down the path to adopting a child,” said Children, Youth, and Family Services Director Catania Jones. “Sometimes there are circumstances that leave children to be placed outside the immediate care of their parents. We strive to keep children in their families of origin whenever we can safely do so. Kinship care is the full-time care, nurturing, and protection of a child by relatives or adults who have a family relationship with the child. Sometimes this leads to the relative adopting the child. Permanency through adoption supports a safe and secure environment with lifelong bonds that will support a child into adulthood. Adoption is a place for celebration.”
DHS works with more than 17 private, community-based and non-profit partners to maintain and increase involvement in adoption. There is always a need for adoption and foster homes. For more information, please check the adoption and foster pages online at https://humanservices.elpasoco.com.