Could Haitian children end up here?

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - We first told you Wednesday about the incredible response from Hoosiers interested in becoming host families for Haitian orphans.

It all started with a blog from a non-profit group called Safe Families for Children Indianapolis. They’d received word that Haitian orphans could be coming to Indiana and thousands of people called and e-mailed hoping to provide a home for a child.

The arrival of Haitian orphans in Pennsylvania spurred others to ask the question.. might this scenario be repeated in other states?

“After the notice of Pittsburgh receiving 50 something children, we were asked in Indiana if we could handle maybe 300 children,” said James Payne, the Indiana Director of Child Services who began to contact other agencies like the non-profit Safe Families for Children.

Payne asked them how many host families they had available. That non-profit posted the information on a blog, churches sent out e-mails and suddenly hundreds of Hoosiers were calling, texting and e-mailing--hoping to house a Haitian orphan.

"We did not anticipate at all that just a simple question is there a way that we can provide some homes for some children who may come to Indiana to explode in the way that it has,” Payne said.

He says many bureaucratic hurdles must be cleared before any Haitian orphans are flown to Indiana. Might it still happen? Perhaps. But he says it's unlikely to be soon. But the Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services says there are still many opportunities for Hoosiers to help a child.

"We have 250 children today who are adoptable - who are ready and waiting for a family to step forward and adopt them," he said.