We are excited to report that our Angels program appears to be in a growth spurt! So far this year, we have seen a 35% increase in calls and emails inquiring about fostering and Angels.  Our foster parent pre-certification classes have been full! Additionally, 2015 is bringing us closer to our goal of adding at least 10 more Angels foster families in northern Santa Barbara County; we have five families in training currently in Orcutt! The May training class is also starting to take shape. We would love to soon report that we have a problem with our training space not being big enough for all the interested families or needing to add additional training sessions.

    However, there is always more that needs to be done.  While we are excited the Angels family is growing, the need for local foster families is still great and we want to have homes always ready to lovingly welcome these infants and toddlers. Weekly, we are still receiving calls about children in need of a family and we do not an Angels' family to offer.  We do not like telling a Child Welfare Services worker that we do not have a foster family to care for an eight-month-old boy or two-week-old girl or siblings, ages 6 months and 2 years old. We want to be able to say, "Yes, we have a family for them!"

    Please continue to help us get the word out in our community about the need for committed and caring families.

- Jennifer Mills, MSW, LCSW

  Angels Foster Care Operations Director

Newly Certified Families - Welcome to Heather & Scott of South Santa Barbara County and Kris & Deborah of North Santa Barbara County.

New Placements: Thank you to Becky & Mitch of North Santa Barbara County for accepting placement of a baby girl, and Heather and Scott of South Santa Barbara County for taking placement of a baby boy.

Recent Adoptions: Congratulations to Matt & Melissa of North Santa Barbara County for their adoption of Kinyon!

Angels 2nd Annual Easter Breakfast & Egg Hunt

Friday April 3, 10:30 a.m. 

Tuckers Grove Park, Santa Barbara

Please join us for a simple breakfast and Easter egg hunt. The hunt will start promptly at 11 a.m. Past and present Angels families are welcome. Please RSVP to Betsy on the Evite, or by contacting her at betsy@angelssb.com or 708-0815.

4th Annual Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera

Friday, May 1, 11a.m. - 2p.m.

Four Seasons Biltmore, Santa Barbara

Please join us for our European-inspired luncheon, marketplace, fashion show and Angels presentation, all set in the beautiful gardens of the Biltmore Resort. The event, in honor of National Foster Care Month, is a benefit for Angels Foster Care. Tickets are $150 per person. Invitations will be mailed shortly, and registration will also be available soon on the Angels web site. If you are an Angels parent who would like to attend, mention that you would like to be seated with other foster parents and we will group you at a table. Questions? Call Ellen in the Angels office at 884-0012.

Our firm has been fortunate enough to work with Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara since 2006 when the ink was barely dry on the 501(c)(3) exemption application. It continues to be our privilege to work closely with Angels, providing monthly and annual accounting and tax support. Frequently we write articles of interest to our clients and post them on our website. With this in mind, we asked Meichelle Arntz if she thought an article on adoption credits would be of interest to Angels families. She felt the information would be beneficial, and so we share these facts and tips with you for tax-savings during the adoption process.

Continued 

Support Angels far into the future and provide financial stability to the agency as the fund grows and pays out profits annually to support Angels' work. Our goal this year is to bring in $50,000 to qualify us for matching funds. Make a personal contribution, have your business donate a portion of sales or host a small gathering to secure further contributions. Contact Executive Director Meichelle Arntz to get started!

Generally, an adoption credit is available to taxpayers to help defray some of the costs involved in the adoption of children. The amount of the credit depends on the tax year, the taxpayer's qualified adoption expenses, and whether the adopted child has special needs. Qualified expenses include adoption fees, attorney fees, court costs and travel expenses while away from home. The maximum credit amount for 2014 is $13,190 per child; for 2015 the amount is increased to $13,400. The credit is taken in the year the adoption is finalized but can include costs incurred in prior years. Also, expenses of an unsuccessful adoption can be combined with expenses of a later successful adoption. The credit is nonrefundable, meaning that the credit may not reduce your tax below zero. However, you may carry any unused credit amount forward for up to five years.

Also, you will want to check with your employer to see if they have an adoption assistance program. Taxpayers can also exclude from income the amount an employer pays toward adoption costs provided the employer has a written qualified adoption assistance plan. Depending on the cost of the adoption, you may be able to claim both the adoption credit and the income exclusion. However, you cannot claim both benefits for the same expenses.

There are special rules for the adoption of a child with special needs. A special needs child is any child, who, as determined by the state, should not or cannot be returned to the parents' home, is a citizen or resident of the United States, and a specific factor or condition makes it reasonable to conclude that the child cannot be placed with adoptive parents unless assistance is provided. Taxpayers who adopt a child with special needs are allowed to claim the full amount of the adoption credit regardless of actual expenses paid or incurred in the year the adoption becomes final.

One final note - the amounts for the adoption credit and the income exclusion may be limited based on your income. For 2014, both the credit and income exclusion are phased out for modified AGI exceeding $197,880; no credit or exclusion is available if modified AGI exceeds $237,880.

If you have questions or would like to discuss this topic further, please feel free to contact Nancy Leonard or Michael Franzen at (805) 563-0821. Franzen & Franzen is located at 125 E. De la Guerra St., Suite 201 in Santa Barbara.

Staff Contacts

Angels Foster Care

3905 State St., #7-115

Santa Barbara, CA  93105

phone: (805) 884-0012 

fax: (805) 884-0177 - fax