Foster.Oregon.gov

Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, loved, and accepted for who they are.

Right now, Oregon needs more resource parents who can provide supportive, nurturing homes for LGBTQIA2S+ children and youth in the child welfare system.

Many young people in foster care have experienced rejection because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. A caring adult can make a lasting difference by offering stability, affirmation, and a place where they belong.

You don't have to do it alone. We'll provide training and access to programs to help. And KEEP - Supporting Families offers support groups for resource, kinship, adoptive, and assisted guardian parents who are caring for youth aged 12 or older who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.

Visit https://foster.oregon.gov to learn more.

During National Foster Care Month, our team in Union, Baker and Wallowa counties hosted an "Adopt a Resource Family" event. ODHS staff asked resource parents to fill out a list of their family's favorite things. Then, donors in the community selected a family to "adopt" for the month of May to show appreciation for the work resource families do.

We had 24 families turn in lists. All 24 families were adopted by the community! We are so grateful to our donors in the communities who went above and beyond to shower these families with gratitude!

Thank you to all our donors, including:
La Grande Soroptimist International - SILG
D & J Taco Shop
CASA of Eastern Oregon, Inc
Suzi Smith - Real Estate
Country Financial - Paul Swigert
Short Stop Xtreme Froyo and Espresso
Building Healthy Families
Legacy Ford of La Grande
Betty's Books
Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, Inc
Baker City Christian Church
RE/MAX Real Estate Team
Antlers Espresso
Blue Summit Realty Group
Sweet Wife Baking

Jessica and Elinor have been resource parents for almost seven years. They decided they wanted to get more involved after Jessica worked at a nonprofit serving youth in resource (foster) care.

“We have always been open to growing our family in non-traditional ways,” Jessica said. “Being a resource parent has challenged me to figure out, in the messy chaos of families, how can I show up for people who are having hard days?”

Their family includes a young adult who transitioned to independent living, three children and a three-year-old who lived with them while in resource care as an infant. She is now living with her father. Father and daughter join the family for holidays and stay connected.

“Opening our home to be of service to our community has been beneficial to our lives. It has made us more compassionate.”

Jessica encourages anyone interested to learn more. “If you feel the call to be a resource parent, the best thing you can do is start exploring that. Learn more! Take a training, become a respite provider. No one ever feels perfectly ready. It is not easy, but it is worth it."

Learn more at https://foster.oregon.gov

Kids who were 6-18 years old during the 2025-26 school year and were in foster care automatically qualify for Summer EBT!

Summer EBT is back in Oregon!

Summer EBT helps families buy healthy groceries for kids while school is out for summer break. Each eligible child gets one $120 payment to their household's Oregon EBT card. We'll start issuing these payments on June 4, 2026 - so automatically eligible families will see the benefits on their cards by June 5.

Even if your family isn't automatically eligible, your child could still qualify! Applications open on June 5 at https://sebt.oregon.gov. And our Summer EBT Call Center will open for questions starting June 1.

Learn more about Summer EBT and who qualifies in this news release: https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/ODHS/Posts/Post/summer-ebt-is-back-to-help-feed-oregon-children-during-summer-break

Looking for training opportunities this June?

While we won’t be offering live-delivered Resource Parent Trainings this month, our on-demand training catalog is available 24/7 with a variety of topics for resource parents and caregivers.

Explore the catalog, learn at your own pace, and stay connected to valuable learning opportunities all summer long!

🔍Check out the Resource Parent Training Catalog:

www.oregon.gov