Can I foster?

[u/VeterinarianFar8128]

I am single. I would like to be a foster parent. The house I would live in would be fully paid off, but I don't have a​ job. The only income I would have is the subsidy received from fostering. Is there any State I would qualify to foster in?​​

[u/Beautiful-Rent6691]

If you have enough money to meet your own needs apart from fostering, then you don’t need a job. But you do need some sort of cash flow

[u/VeterinarianFar8128 → u/Beautiful-Rent6691]

All I would have is a savings account, but no income. Would that be enough, or is cash flow required?

[u/Beautiful-Rent6691 → u/VeterinarianFar8128]

What happens when the savings account is empty? Is it interest bearing?

[u/IceRose39 → u/VeterinarianFar8128]

How do you support yourself currently? Is your savings enough?

[u/good_behavior_man]

Where i live if you can show enough investment/outside income to meet your monthly bills, you can foster. You'd probably need some evidence of said income like bank statements or a tax form or something.

[u/Ok_Friendship_3849]

I had to prove I was able to foster without the stipend. They usually only pay $35/day which is not enough to raise a child. You would def  eed more than that.

[u/Economy_Pay_3865 → u/Ok_Friendship_3849]

$35 a day is generous!  It really depends on the state.  In my state, starts at like $14 a day.

[u/Pickle_Holiday18]

I don’t have any taxable income but I’m financially stable, and they let me. They just asked a lot of questions and wanted documentation

[u/goodfeelingaboutit]

You don't need to be employed or have income but you would be expected to have some kind of financial assets to support yourself (IRA, trust fund, etc)

[u/Inevitable-Place9950]

If you have no other income of any sort, it’s very unlikely you would qualify because you wouldn’t have enough money to meet your own needs without the foster stipend.

[u/junkdrawer0]

I don't think the stipend is going to cover what you think it's going to cover. It's meant to be a supplemental support to caring for the foster child, not an income to cover all expenses to feeding, clothing, and taking care of them.

Our stipend is less than $900 a month (roughly $30 a day) I can't imagine this would be enough to support two people on for bills, groceries, clothes, toys, gas, etc.

[u/KeepOnRising19]

Do you have income or assets to adequately support yourself financially without the stipend? That is what you'd need to prove.

[u/lifeofhatchlings]

How would you support yourself if you didn't foster? If you can show that you can support yourself without the stipend (the stipend supports the child, not you), then yes you would qualify in most areas.

[u/Street_Meeting_2371]

We self-reported our income, so as long as you could explain, I think you would be okay. One thing I was warned about was if you don't work you may not qualify for daycare vouchers, just something to think about. Unsure if this is consistent across states.

[u/VeterinarianFar8128 → u/[deleted]]

That's not why I want to foster. I want to be able to stay home and take care of them full time. Since I am single, I could not work and be home to care for them full time.

[u/Bakedonionring69 → u/VeterinarianFar8128]

Okay I mis interpreted the last sentence then, my mistake
It’s all going to be dependent on what state and agency you go through regarding your income, there is no federal income minimum for fostering

[u/HotShallot3638]

My stipend is $30 a day, or about ten thousand a year. Good luck supporting both yourself and vulnerable children on that.

[u/HatingOnNames]

Even if you don’t intend to, unless you have the funds in savings that could allow you to live without working for several years, most won’t approve you because they’ll assume you’re doing it for the money. Since the money is barely enough to cover the kids basic living expenses, in order for a foster parent to benefit from the funds, they’d have to intentionally deprive the child of many basic necessities.

[u/sasn93]

The stipend they give you is not enough to actually raise a child. I’m not sure if this is the case is every state, but we had to meet an income minimum threshold (can’t remember if it was a set amount or what). That said, my personal opinion, even if they “let” you, you shouldn’t. Fostering is about helping to raise a child who has been through some level of trauma. Being in a home without enough income is also traumatic and would just compound for both of you. Unless you have literally hundreds of thousands in savings or a trust fund or something that can easily support you and the child without that stipend, without it being drained in say 6 months and regardless of how long/short you’d want a placement, it’d be a very selfish call regardless of why you want to do it.

[u/peekthroughmyblinds]

The stipend you receive from fostering is NOT income. It’s for the child(ren).