Hope Cottage — Local services in Dallas

While hopeful that Hope Cottage would be a good agency to work with, I found their communication to be lacking - we worked with Jayla during the application process. Requirements were poorly communicated and explained. Emails were confusing to comprehend and disorganized. The most alarming was deadlines that were not communicated. Jayla would frequently make up due dates (i.e. initial home visit needs to be completed by 10/31, then she would cancel an appointment, and then communicated new deadline was 11/30. Then created a deadline for all online training by 12/31 or they would close your file). That is ultimately what happened - I shared we were most likely unable to complete all of the training by 12/31 (which includes TB testing your entire family, reading a book, completing a book report, requesting college transcripts, etc.) and without a discussion she sent us a denial letter and told us we were inflexible. Again, Jayla's communication is poor and unprofessional. Hope Cottage says they are a Christian organization but I couldn't tell throughout the process and especially with how Jayla manages her "book...

I cannot speak highly enough about Hope Cottage and their exceptional case worker, Jayla Godbolt. From our very first phone call to our initial meeting, Jayla has consistently demonstrated a remarkable level of dedication, compassion, and professionalism. She took the time to thoroughly understand our unique situation, answered every question with clarity, and provided the guidance we needed to feel informed and supported every step of the way.

Choosing Hope Cottage for our foster journey was the best decision we could have made. Their expertise in foster and adoption procedures is evident in every interaction with their staff. Jayla has gone above and beyond to make each step as seamless as possible. Her genuine care and empathy have truly stood out; she has regularly checked in with us, offering reassurance and support that made all the difference in what can often be an overwhelming process.

We wholeheartedly recommend Hope Cottage to anyone embarking on the foster-to-adopt journey. With people like Jayla, they have made a lasting impact on our family, and we are endlessly grateful for her...

My wife and I would highly encourage you to be extremely skeptical of Hope Cottage. Their trainings were disorganized (particularly the SAMA training). Their mandates and expectations of couples were not universally enforced. The communication between the staff was obviously lacking. Finally, our case worker told us at the conclusion of our home study interviews that our approval should be completed within one week from our last meeting. She was extremely supportive and specifically told us that we would be moving forward. Three weeks later, we had received no word from the agency despite numerous emails and voicemail messages left to the case worker and her supervisor. Finally, after three weeks we were told that our home study was denied because they were "a small agency unlikely to meet our needs." We had been completely open, honest, and upfront with them since the start of our process (which began over six months prior to our home study being denied). These folks are flat out unprofessional. There are several other agencies available, and we really encourage you to...