Thank you for this article. We fostered then adopted 2 children. The allowances and resources provided by the state helped but we used our own funds to ensure the children were properly cared for.  Hawaii has a significant amount of children in the foster care system and the state is challenged to not only place them in good homes but also address the problem that placed the children in the foster care system. Meth use by the parents of these innocent children is one of the major causes for placement into the foster care system. During our foster parent training and certification classes, provided and funded by the state, we met other soon to be foster parents. Every story from those attending the course contained reference to chemical substance abuse by the child's parent/s. Including the parents of the children we eventually adopted. Addressing the substance abuse issue will help to bring down the number of displaced children and lessen costs to the state. Meth use must be stopped.