Kentucky foster kids with nowhere to go are sleeping in DCBS offices
Foster children with nowhere to go are spending up to a week or more in Kentucky office buildings, according to a preliminary report from the state.
Most kids were age 11 or older, and the youngest was just 1 year old. The problem stems from a lack of foster homes and beds in state residential care facilities.
Allison Ball, auditor of public accounts for the State of Kentucky, said her office has continued to receive reports from constituents revealing kids are also being housed in hotels and state parks throughout the Commonwealth.
“Quite a bit of these children were removed straight from their home, so probably mom or dad, and then and then moved straight into an office building to sleep for a period of time,” Ball observed. “It’s a worrying picture. It’s a deeply sad situation.”
According to state data, as of February 2025 there were more than 8,200 children in Kentucky’s foster care system.
Shannon Moody, chief officer of policy and strategy for Kentucky Youth Advocates, said when children are either removed from the home due to safety reasons or are unable to stay in foster care or kinship care placement, social workers are left with few options.
“Office buildings are not an appropriate place for a child to be cared for,” Moody emphasized. “Especially if they have histories of trauma, where they are experiencing issues of not feeling safe.”
Ball added a more extensive investigation is ongoing to assess barriers and come up with solutions.
“I’ve asked the ombudsman to do a more thorough review,” Ball pointed out. “Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we need to find out what kind of oversight is happening for these children, how many children are sleeping at one time in office buildings.”
Gov. Andy Beshear recently signed an emergency amendment to increase per diem rates for therapeutic foster care. Advocates said the state still needs a clear plan to fund critical supports for kinship care outlined in last year’s Senate Bill 151.
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