So we know hotel stays are on the rise year over year, here is some concerning information from 2020.
Some Key Takeaways/Questions:
- 23% increase 2019 vs 2020
- 220 Youth experienced Hotel/DCYF stays - NOT counting night to night foster care placements!
- 43 Youth had 1,395 Hotel/DCYF stays equals over 32 nights, these Youth account for 75% of all Hotel/DCYF stays
- How can Youth legally spend the night in a vehicle, how is that a placement option?
- What other placements are in the “Other” category?
Clarification from Patrick Dowd on Vehicle and Other Exceptions:
I would have to go back and check but I think the 2 “vehicle placements” occurred in King County. When we addressed this with the Department, they described situations where a child spent the majority of the night in a vehicle being transported to different possible placements. We did not find that children were left in parked vehicles overnight.
The “other” category refers to placement exception reports we received where the report indicated that a “placement exception” was approved, but the report did not provide further details about the type of placement.
Source:
House Children, Youth & Families Committee
January 18, 1:30 pm
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Work Session: Hotel stays for youth involved with child welfare.
Public Hearing: HB 1061 - Concerning youth eligible for developmental disability services who are expected to exit the child welfare system. HB 1186 - Concerning juvenile rehabilitation.