House of Delegates members want the state to build at least two centers that could briefly house foster children when there’s no home or facility available. The legislation comes in the wake of growing scrutiny about West Virginia foster kids — regularly kids with mental disabilities or behavioral issues — living in hotel rooms and campgrounds because the state doesn’t have anywhere to put them.
“I cannot fathom losing my child. I cannot fathom losing my child to a hotel room,” said bill sponsor Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, who is a foster parent. “Our constituents are demanding that this be addressed.”
But the state Department of Human Services, which already operates at-capacity emergency shelters for foster children, wasn’t thrilled with the plan. An agency leader told lawmakers it was merely “a Band-Aid” on an ongoing problem of a shortage of appropriate placements for kids, including those with disabilities.
The legislation, House Bill 3382, would mandate that the Department of Human Services establish, on its own or through a contract, a “central reception center” and emergency resource homes for foster children for up to 72 hours. This would be an option for children only if a home couldn’t be found immediately, but the state doesn’t have enough foster homes to keep up with the influx of children.
“As s children are being taken into custody, there’s a loving, warm, inviting atmosphere for them to have as their first stop in this very emotional journey,” Pinson said while presenting the bill on Thursday in the House Committee on Health and Human Resources.
The state manages emergency shelters for children and a home for difficult-to-place children. There are currently 156 children living in emergency shelters, according to DoHS data.
Lorie Bragg, interim commissioner for the state Bureau of Social Services, told lawmakers this bill wasn’t addressing the overall lack of appropriate child placements, something she said the agency is currency working on. A center like the one outlined in the bill could put children at risk because the center may shelter in one room both a toddler and a teenager with an aggression issue, she said.
She also worried about finding emergency placement foster families.
“These kids are not the kids that foster parents are willing to take in,” Bragg said. “These are your autistic kids, nonverbal, [children with intellectual and development disabilities], physically aggressive teenagers, kids that may be doing self-harm, the kids that are difficult to place. That’s the kids are ending up in a hotel.”
“Making a temporary housing or shelter doesn’t really fix the problem of having a placement for these children,” she added.
The bill didn’t have an estimated cost, and the price tag could hold up momentum on the bill amid state budget concerns.
While Bragg couldn’t tell lawmakers what DoHS spent on hotels last year, West Virginia Watch previously reported that the state spends $2.1 million annually on temporary housing for foster children, like hotels, according to a department spokesperson. The price tag includes meals and staff who are required to stay with children.
Pinson said the millions of dollars spent on housing kids in hotels and other temporary shelters could be used to fund the short-term housing centers.
“Right there is an opportunity to make a significant investment into what I would call infrastructure into correcting what I call our foster care crisis in West Virginia,” he said.
Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, added, “Price to me is a moot point when it comes to the care of these children.”
Mark Drennan, vice president of the National Youth Advocate Program, said he could potentially operate a center like defined in the bill. The space would be home-like, he explained, with medical staff and therapists on site.
“We envision being open 24-hours a day, and that the workers can drop those kids off, they can immediately get assessed, and we immediately start the process of where they’re going to go next,” he said.
Bragg told lawmakers that DoHS, which is under new leadership, is actively working to reduce the number of children in hotels and similar placements. There are 5,897 children in state foster care.
“We’ve started some meetings with stakeholders and our providers, and we’re trying to address the actual problem. And the problem is making sure that we have the services here to serve these children,” she said. “Whether it’s a residential placement, a group home or specialized foster care, we want to be able to actually address the problem, and just creating an emergency center is not going to do that.”
Senators recently debated a bill that would mandate an independent review of the state’s troubled foster care system and offer suggestions for improvements. DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer told lawmakers that a study wasn’t necessary as he’s working to address longstanding problems in the child welfare system. The Senate Judiciary Committee paused action on the bill for now.
This article originally appeared on West Virginia Watch.
“West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.”
