Oregon’s foster system has housed 76 children and young adults in hotels rather than family settings or treatment programs in the first 11 months of this year, according to a Dec. 1 state report. The state acknowledged it was out of compliance with the settlement in a letter in September to lawyers for foster children who initially sued the federal court over the situation five years ago.
“Despite all reasonably possible efforts, (Oregon Department of Human Services) cannot at this time substantially comply with all of the agreement’s numeric limits,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Carla A. Scott wrote. Scott said “the pandemic reduced the slots available in mental health treatment programs, which makes it difficult for the state to reduce its use of hotels as temporary housing. That’s because the children who need treatment and in-patient programs are also the children most likely to be placed in hotels.”
State data obtained by Emily Fox of the Oregon Law Center, a lawyer for foster children, says, Oregon is also relying on hotels at a highly disproportionate rate to house Black children in its care. Black children accounted for 6.2% of kids in foster care in 2020, a percentage that was already disproportionate given less than 4% of Oregon’s child population is Black. In contrast, 20% of the children and young adults that state child welfare workers placed in hotels through Dec. 9 this year were Black.
State child welfare officials declined an interview request, citing ongoing litigation related to the issue. In response to the request from The Oregonian/OregonLive, the state provided its letter acknowledging it was in violation of the settlement.
