GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Hoffman family is busy getting their kids ready to head back to school. Their kids rush around the living room, climbing up on the sofa and showing off their new backpacks and supplies.
“I tell people it’s organized chaos,” said Haylee Hoffman who is mom to 12 kids.
Corey Hoffman is the dad and his smile says he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
“It’s enjoyable though,” he said. “I would never change it for the world.”
The couple said they never imagined parenting 12, but when the opportunity came, they embraced it.
"In all honestly, with our oldest, it was jump in both feet and not know we were getting into,” shared Haylee.
A coworker of Haylee’s asked if her daughter could stay a weekend with them, and she ended up staying for good. This lead Haylee and Corey down the road of fostering and then adoption.
The ups and downs can be challenging, emotional, and so rewarding they share.
"We've had up to about 70 children that have come and gone,” said Haylee.
A key for them to creating their special family was to make sure siblings could stay together in one home.
“We just felt they needed to stay together to help them keep some of those bonds they already created,” said Haylee.
They would encourage anyone interested to foster or adopt to look at your options and get involved because the need is growing.
“There’s a bunch of teenagers out there that need families to help let them see what life can be outside of the system,” said Haylee.
Arizona Department of Child safety estimates the need for foster families will continue to grow. They believe to up with demand they will need to increase and license approximately 1,400-1,500 new families over the next 12 months across the state.
They said this takes into account that some foster homes are closing due to adoption.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster family, you can visit: https://dcs.az.gov/foster.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
12News on YouTube
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.