Post-adoption services for families and children in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties will get a boost with $142,000 to the Children’s Home of Jefferson County from the state.

The funding, administered by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, is part of a $570,000 increase over 2014-15.

“This action will make it easier for New Yorkers to open their home to a child in need and help provide them with the safe, stable environment they deserve,” Go. Andrew Cuomo said. “By investing in these programs, we are connecting adoptive parents to vital counseling and support programs in their community to set their children on a path towards a brighter future.”

The funding will enable programs to provide clinical mental health and family counseling, parent education and training, youth development, and other important resources to adoptive families in all five boroughs of New York City, and parts of the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, North Country, and Western New York.

Sheila J. Poole, Acting Commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services said, “These core services are designed to stabilize adoption placements and strengthen families, with the goal of giving more children a nurturing ‘forever home.’ The increased funding enables us to offer these important resources to even more areas of the State.”

The funding was allocated in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families portion of the enacted 2015-16 State Budget, and was awarded through a competitive Request for Proposals process. Families whose income is at or below 200 percent of the poverty line will be eligible for post-adoption services.