Arizona
Federal Audit Reveals Thousands of Foster Children Housed in Hotels and Offices Nationwide
More than 9,000 children in foster care had to temporarily stay in hotels, office buildings and other potentially unsafe settings when states couldn’t find suitable places for them, according to a new federal audit. The inspector general’s office of the…
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Key points
- A federal audit found over 9,000 foster children nationwide were temporarily placed in hotels, office buildings, and park cabins due to placement shortages.
- State agencies cited complex behavioral needs, pandemic disruptions, and the opioid crisis as primary causes for the lack of traditional foster care beds.
- Texas and Arizona accounted for nearly half of the 15,705 emergency stays tracked between January 2022 and June 2023.
Nationwide Audit Highlights Child Welfare Placement Shortages
NewsWK — A federal oversight report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General reveals that state child welfare agencies across the country temporarily housed more than 9,000 foster children in hotels, office buildings, and state park facilities due to a severe shortage of licensed foster homes and residential centers.
According to a report first published by Stateline, the audit examined data from January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Federal investigators concluded that state authorities struggled primarily to place older teenagers and youth with severe behavioral or mental health challenges, with problems compounded by the opioid epidemic and pandemic-related disruptions.
Scope of Unlicensed Emergency Placements
Child welfare standards generally prioritize placing children with relatives, known as kinship care, or approved nonrelative foster families that meet state safety guidelines. However, 34 of the 49 state agencies responding to the federal inquiry acknowledged placing children in emergency settings not configured for youth care.
Across 15,705 total tracked emergency stays, federal statistics show:
- Duration: Approximately 59% of placements lasted four days or fewer, while 28% extended to five days or more. The average stay across all reports was one week, though one hotel placement spanned 251 days.
- Offices and Hotels: Seventeen states documented 1,922 hotel stays, 22 states logged 2,698 stays inside government offices, and 16 states reported 4,412 stays in other non-traditional facilities such as state park cabins.
State Disparities and System Accountability
Emergency housing was heavily concentrated in specific regions. Arizona and Texas together accounted for nearly half of all temporary stays reported nationwide, logging 3,907 and 3,923 placements respectively. Significant numbers were also reported in Tennessee (1,845), Illinois (812), and Washington state (612).
While seven states reported zero unlicensed emergency placements, eight states did not track temporary emergency stays at all. The findings highlight ongoing operational and oversight challenges facing state child welfare systems as officials work to balance strict child safety mandates with available placement resources.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Robbie Sequeira originally published by Stateline. Read the original story.
