Baltimore Agency Accused Of Housing Children In Offices

[Kadie]

Baltimore Agency Accused Of Housing Children In Offices
Building Doesn't Have Showers, Advocates Say

POSTED: 9:34 am PDT June 15, 2005

snip...
Child welfare advocates say troubled children are being housed in a downtown office building overnight where they sleep upright in plastic chairs.

A complaint about the five-month-old practice was filed with the agency's own abuse and neglect hot line.

An attorney assigned to monitor the Baltimore Department of Social Services called the practice stupefying.

Mitchell Marviss told The Baltimore Sun newspaper that the facility had no showers, and no blankets, pillows or towels were visible during a visit last week.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/family/4612332/detail.html



edited to add link to original story...

Children still being housed illegally in office building
They have no place to go, says state agency director
By Lynn Anderson
Sun Staff
Originally published June 15, 2005


snip...
Two factors led to the office being used as a temporary shelter, he said: service providers who refuse to take in troubled foster children; and foster children who have figured out they can go to the office for free food and other services instead of a more restrictive facility.

"This practice isn't continuing because we want it to," said Chambers, who was recruited by state officials to revamp the beleaguered agency, which serves about 7,000 city children.

On the job for less than a year, Chambers reacted strongly to accusations that he hasn't done enough to fix the problem. He said his department is about to unveil a campaign to recruit foster parents and has plans to reach out to service providers balking at taking in certain children.

"You want to take one of them into your home?" he asked. "Do you want two? Three? Can we work a deal here? What do you want me to do? Shut the door and put them out into the streets? People are being critical, but no one has a solution."

more...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.shelter15jun15,1,3877103.story?coll=bal-local-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

[SmokingJacket]

1. Holy shit!

Could we redirect a few million of those billions going to kill Iraqis HERE please? Please!!!!

God, priorities...

:puke:

[CitySky]

3. i so agree

priorities: power companies, yes. abused and neglected children, no.

sad.

[meganmonkey]

2. That's just devestating.

I don't even know what to say x(

[consuming]

4. Ouch!