Thousands of Children In Mississippi In Need of Permanent Home

Adoption Day Celebration at Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport

Thousands of children in Mississippi are living in foster homes, but MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports on one ceremony on the Gulf Coast that brought some of those foster children into permanent homes.

It was a celebration complete with balloons and cake in a Harrison County Chancery Court room on Friday, as twenty foster children and their parents waited to be called into judge’s chambers to finalize their adoptions. Beth Casey is with the Harrison County Youth Court, she says seeing this many children adopted at one time is a rare thing,

“That is why it is a celebration because it is a way for them to have a permanent home, and if they can’t be returned home this is the outcome you want to see.”

There are currently more than 3500 children living in foster care in Mississippi and many may never be adopted, a problem especially seen with the adolescent population. But some like 3 year old Michael Petersen, get lucky. His father Gerald Petersen says Michael came to their family a year and a half ago,

“It started off when we went down to pick him up, it started out to be just a temporary foster situation and then it turned into we hope everything goes our way, and our way has happened today. It is a great day, a great day.”

Margaret Alphonso, chancery court judge for Harrison County preceded over the adoption ceremonies. She says while it may not look like it, children do comprehend the significance of the day,

“I think that they realize how important this day is to them, because I think that children sense very much uncertainty, and until this day finally comes there is no certainty in their placement.”

The Department of Human Services oversees most adoptions for the state. Currently there are more than 500 children in Mississippi eligible for adoption immediately.