HISTORY

Ampersand Families was founded to fill a gap in existing adoption efforts in Minnesota and nationally.  Teens that have been removed from their parents’ care due to abuse and neglect have a small chance of joining an adoptive family prior to emancipating from foster care. 

We are Minnesota’s only agency specifically focused on meeting the permanency needs of older youth. Families benefit from the specialized training and support we offer to help parents as they bring into their family an older child who has experienced trauma.

From 2003 to 2008 Minnesota was home to a federally-funded demonstration project aimed at increasing the rates of adoption of teens from the state’s foster care system.  That effort, called The Homecoming Project, was designed with significant leadership from Michelle Chalmers (who eventually became one of Ampersand Families’ co-founders), who also directed the 5-year project.

Jen Braun (Ampersand’s other co-founder) was a Permanency Specialist during the entire run of The Homecoming Project.  Braun’s work was integral to the success of The Homecoming Project, which resulted in permanency for 57 Minnesota teens.  Her efforts to achieve permanency for a pair of teenage siblings were featured in an award-winning American RadioWorks documentary, Wanted: Parents, which aired nationally on Public Radio in November 2007.

As The Homecoming Project approached its end, Braun and Chalmers made the decision to found Ampersand Families.  Since October 2008, Ampersand Families has provided permanency services to older youth and tailored education and non-time-limited support to incredible adoptive families.