Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, a foster parent, discusses child welfare legislation in the House Health Committee on February 17, 2025, in Charleston, West Virginia. (Perry Bennett, West Virginia Legislative Photography)
House of Delegates members want the state to build at least two centers to temporarily house foster children when no home or facility is available.
The legislation comes in the wake of growing concern about West Virginia foster children, who are frequently children with mental disabilities or behavioral issues and are living in hotel rooms and campgrounds because the state does not have enough space for them.
“I can’t fathom losing my child. I can’t imagine losing my child in a hotel room,” said bill sponsor Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, who is a foster parent. “Our constituents are demanding that this be addressed.”
The state Department of Human Services, which already operates at-capacity emergency shelters for foster children, was not pleased with the proposal. An agency leader told lawmakers that it was only “a Band-Aid” for an ongoing problem of a lack of appropriate placements for children, including those with disabilities.
House Bill 3382 would require the Department of Human Services to establish a “central reception center” and emergency resource homes for foster children for up to 72 hours, either directly or through a contract.
This would be an option for children if a home could not be found right away, but the state does not have enough foster homes to accommodate the influx of children.
“As children are taken into custody, there’s a loving, warm, inviting environment for them to have as their first stop in this very emotional journey,” Pinson said Thursday while presenting the bill to the House Committee on Health and Human Resources.
The state operates emergency shelters for children as well as a home for children who are difficult to place. According to Department of Health and Human Services data, 156 children are currently living in emergency shelters.
Lorie Bragg, interim commissioner for the state Bureau of Social Services, told lawmakers that the bill did not address the overall lack of appropriate child placements, which the agency is currently working on. A center like the one described in the bill could endanger children because it could house a toddler and a teenager with an aggression problem in the same room, she said.
She was also concerned about finding emergency placement foster families.
“These kids are not the kids that foster parents are willing to take in,” according to Bragg. “These are your autistic children, nonverbal [children with intellectual and developmental disabilities], physically aggressive teenagers, children who may be self-harming, and children who are difficult to place. That’s how the kids end up in a hotel.”
“Making a temporary housing or shelter doesn’t really fix the problem of having a placement for these children,” she told me.
The bill’s cost was not estimated, and the cost could stall its progress due to state budget concerns.
While Bragg was unable to tell lawmakers how much DoHS spent on hotels last year, West Virginia Watch previously reported that the state spends $2.1 million per year on temporary foster care housing, such as hotels, according to a department spokesperson. The price includes meals and staff who must stay with the children.
Pinson claimed that the millions of dollars spent on housing children in hotels and other temporary shelters could be used to fund 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,” according to him.
Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, added, “Price is a moot point when it comes to the care of these children.”
Mark Drennan, vice president of the National Youth Advocate Program, stated that he could potentially operate a center as defined in the bill. He explained that the space would be similar to a home, with medical staff and therapists present.
“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 told me.
Bragg informed lawmakers that DoHS, which is under new leadership, is actively working to reduce the number of children in hotels and other similar settings. There are currently 5,897 children in state foster care.
“We’ve started meeting with stakeholders and providers to try to solve the problem. And the issue is ensuring that we have the services available to help these children,” she explained. “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 legislation that would require an independent review of the state’s troubled foster care system and make recommendations for improvements. DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer told lawmakers that a study was unnecessary because he was working to address long-standing issues in the child welfare system. The Senate Judiciary Committee has temporarily paused action on the bill.
