Adoption
Loans to support costs related to adopting a child, including agency, advertising, and travel fees.
Loans to support costs related to adopting a child, including agency, advertising, and travel fees.
The Adoption Loan Program provides interest-free loans of up to $25,000 to low- and moderate-income residents of New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island to support the cost of adoption, including agency fees, advertising costs, travel fees, birth parent medical expenses, etc.
HFLS Income Limits
Household Size | 1 person | 2 person | 3 person | 4 person | 5 person | 6 person | 7 person | 8 person |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Household Income | 85,890 | 98,180 | 110,470 | 122,690 | 132,540 | 142,385 | 152,160 | 162,005 |
Loan amounts are based on expenses incurred by the applicant; HFLS will disburse loan checks upon receiving documentation of such expenses.
Loans are repayable over up to five years, with the repayment term and monthly repayment amount based on the amount of the loan. Payments are made by electronic debit of a checking account, beginning one month after the loan is received.
Two guarantors are required for all loans, and both guarantors must complete and sign Guarantor Forms. A married couple is considered one guarantor. If a guarantor is married, his or her spouse must also complete and sign the Guarantor Form.
Each guarantor is “jointly” and “severally” liable for the loan in the event you are unable to pay for any reason. This means that, while HFLS would expect each guarantor to share equally in the responsibility of repaying the loan, each is legally liable for the full amount, and any one guarantor could be called upon to repay the balance due.
Guarantors must meet the following criteria:
Even if they meet the requirements above, the following people may not guarantee a loan:
The documents below are required for an Adoption Loan. Once you have completed or collected all the documents below and have all necessary signatures, contact the HFLS office at (212) 687-0188 to set up an in-person loan interview. Please bring the following documents with you to your scheduled interview.
From the borrower:
From the guarantors (guarantors may choose to send these documents directly to HFLS):
Failure to submit these documents will delay the processing of your application.
All applicants must have a brief, in-person loan interview with an HFLS Loan Officer. The documents listed above should be submitted to HFLS before or at the loan interview.
During the loan interview, an HFLS Loan Officer will review your application and other required documents with you, ask any relevant questions, determine whether any additional information is needed, and answer any questions you have about HFLS and the rest of the loan application process (described below).
You can select the location of your interview: At our Manhattan office (675 Third Ave at 42nd Street), where we conduct interviews from 9-5 pm Monday through Thursday, or at the Shorefront Y or Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, where we have loan interviews in the evenings once a month.
HFLS reviews and decides on loan applications weekly. If we have questions about your application or guarantor, you may receive a call or email from a Loan Officer asking for further information before HFLS will make its decision.
You will receive information within approximately two weeks of your interview advising you whether your loan has been approved. HFLS, in its discretion, may decline to make a loan, make a loan in an amount less than that requested, or require different or additional guarantors.
If your loan is approved, the information you receive will contain instructions to complete the final loan paperwork. You may deliver original signed copies of the final loan paperwork to HFLS by regular mail or in person at our Manhattan office; copies will not be accepted. The final loan paperwork includes: