Meet the Justice Family!
We never give up, we talk openly, and we love unconditionally.
When they first started providing foster care, Stacy and Keith Justice wanted to care for older children. They knew they would be able to help them reunify with their birth parents if that was the right option for the children. And, over the years, they have helped many children return home to be with their birth parents or other relatives, but also completed the adoption or guardianship of five children who were in foster care. In fact they adopted three of the first four children placed in their family.
This family of seven includes 30-year-old Brandon and his biological brother Justin, now 29. Stacy and Keith adopted the boys when they were 10, a couple of years after they first came to the family. Next in age comes 28-year-old Joey, whom they also adopted when he was 10. Katie, now 19, was a kinship guardianship placement and has been with Stacy and Keith since she was just two weeks old. Rounding out this special family is eight-year-old Katelynn, who was adopted about five years ago.
“Katelynn is our firecracker!” Stacy explains. “She is one of the most determined kids I know.” Stacy and Keith are proud of how well their young adult children are doing too: “Katie just finished college and has the sweetest spirit. Brandon is a hard worker and is devoted to his two sons Colin and Landon. Justin just celebrated one year of marriage with his beautiful, supportive wife. And Joey is working and thriving and being a great dad!”
A parent support group leader and foster parent trainer herself, Stacy knows the value of peer support for helping adoptive families stay strong in spite of challenges. When asked what helped the family through the adoption process and beyond, she responds: “faith, foster parent groups, and foster/adoptive parent friends to talk to.” She recommends that policymakers ensure more post-adoption supports are available and that everyone involved in foster care and adoption have access to training on the impact of trauma. The Justice family also was able to benefit from the federal adoption tax credit, and are grateful to policymakers for helping ensure that families can afford adoption. They have also relied on Medicaid to meet the special medical needs some of the children have had.
Although Brandon and Justin live in other states, the Justices really look forward to holidays and special times when they gather. “We can all be together to just enjoy each other’s company and laugh and talk about memories made,” Stacy notes. This loving family is bonded for life. Stacy and Keith believe their family’s greatest strengths include perseverance, honesty, and connection: “We never give up, we talk openly, and we love unconditionally.”
