Myth Buster: I’m LGBTQ. Can I Foster?

Don’t think you have what it takes to foster a child? We’re here to bust a few myths about that!

You may have questions like can I foster a child? I’m LGBTQ or in a same-sex relationship? But I want to help.

Yes! Love is love. There is an opportunity for anyone willing to open their home and life to a child in need. Omni Visions has had many LGBTQ foster parents — many of whom have gone from fostering to adopting the children they welcomed into their homes.

LGBTQ Foster Parents

Omni welcomes anyone interested in qualifying as a foster parent. If you are part of the LGBTQ community, please know that pursuing qualifications and training to be a foster or adoptive family does not require working through religiously affiliated agencies. Omni welcomes everyone.

“Every child has a right to be part of a healthy and supportive family, and we invite qualified couples and individuals of diverse profiles and backgrounds to pursue a path toward foster parenting — or even adoption — by working with us,” says Omni Visions President and CEO Nichole Young. 

Omni Welcomes LGBTQ Foster Parents

Just as heartbreaking is knowing that many faith-based organizations stand behind state legislation that permits them to set their criteria for who can and cannot foster or adopt a child. In Tennessee, faith-based organizations can bar gay people from adopting as well as fostering.

The same type of organizations in Kentucky and North Carolina cannot.* Omni Visions serves the needs of children and families in these three states.

At Omni, we understand that families come in a constellation of variety. That’s why our foster parents can be LGBTQ, straight, single, married, or partnered; childless or already raising their own; of different cultural or faith backgrounds; and retired or still working. All our candidates for foster parenting go through extensive background screening and review processes.

They also receive specialized pre-placement and ongoing training, with 24/7 access to Omni’s highly skilled support team. We’re part of your foster family, too.

LGBTQ Foster Parents Story

Skye’s foster moms remember a morning routine that was anything but…

Before Lynn and Patty adopted Skye, she had been in 25 foster homes. They remember those early days of fostering and getting to know this little girl whose world was marked by so much insecurity. They were simply fixing breakfast one morning when Skye marveled, “This is just like a real family!”

Her mother Lynn says, “They are so happy to be regular kids. When we can make that happen — that’s big. Security, in so many ways, is a scarce thing to them… when they find it, it’s profound. You can see it.” 

Foster To Adopt

Have you been considering adoption but been met with resistance or refusal from other agencies? Fostering through Omni Visions may offer you a path forward. Fostering can be another route to adoption. While our primary goal is to help children and their biological families heal so that the child can be returned to their home, that is not always possible.

When it’s determined that the family of origin cannot meet the needs of their children, Omni Visions Foster Care Services works with its current foster parents, its community partners, and each state’s department of children’s services to find a forever home. 

Keeping Siblings Together

LGBTQ foster parents, Ebony and Rachelle Smith, hadn’t planned on fostering such a large family in the beginning. The twins were enough. But circumstances changed. The twins and their siblings had been separated when they first entered foster care and had not lived together under one roof.

In twelve months, Ebony and Rachelle welcomed the rest of the siblings into their home. Now, nearly five years later, these moms have created a forever home for three brothers and their sister.

“We never felt like being black and gay was a hurdle to creating a family,” said the couple, who have been married for 18 years. “We always strived to educate ‘the naysayers’ with our actions, leading with love.”

Are You Ready to Step Up to Be a Foster Parent?

Omni Visions offers Foster Care services in TN, KY, and NC. Our coverage area’s overwhelming need for qualified families to help vulnerable children find stable, safe, healthy homes. What we are always looking for is far too great for us to lose out on caring, qualified adults as foster care parents. 

Many factors contribute to the increased need for foster care services, but in Tennessee alone, more than 9,000 children are currently in state custody awaiting placement in foster homes. Are you ready to become a Foster Parent?

For any child whose world has been upended by neglect or trauma, having the support of a foster family can bring security and healing. Omni Visions can help you help them.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster parent, we encourage you to complete our request form or to contact the Omni Visions office near your home.

Since 1991, Omni has specialized in providing training and support to caregivers so foster children can reach their fullest potential. Together we can provide a brighter future for our children.

READY TO BECOME A FOSTER PARENT?

*According to https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/foster_and_adoption_laws