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PW plans to close group homes for teens
When the Board of County Supervisors next meets in February, they'll most likely vote to close down the county's two group homes for teens. Though the year is likely to be marked by steep budget cuts, the supervisors were reluctant this week to agree to the closure, even at the request of the head of the Department of Social Services, which oversees the homes.DSS Director Jack Ledden told supervisors that budget and policy conditions have created “a perfect storm for a series of unfortunate events,” leading to his conclusion that the group home for boys and the group home for girls should be closed.
First, he said, rates for clients have increased and will increase again in July so it will cost taxpayers increasingly more for each teen living in the home. Then there's the state's Council on Reform initiative, which aims to reduce the number of children in group homes, focusing on community treatment rather than residential treatment.
That initiative, which allows children to be cared for at less cost to the state, has been gaining ground so there are fewer teens in the county's group homes now.
Plus, he said, the homes are now understaffed because employees concerned about job security have been leaving. And referring agents have also been worried that the group homes will close so they haven't been sending over new clients because they don't want to refer children who will have to leave halfway through treatment. The group home for boys currently has nine clients with no new prospects and the group home for girls is about to have four with no new prospects.
All in all, he said, both group homes are now underused, understaffed and underfunded.
The decision to close is a difficult one, Ledden said, but it is in the best interest of the clients, agency and taxpayers.
The group homes provide treatment, education and care for children and teens who have been ordered by a judge to complete a residential program, usually as a condition of probation.
Members of the Board of County Supervisors spent some time last Tuesday trying to ensure that there is no better alternative.
Neabsco Supervisor John Jenkins (D) pointed out that the county has a “significant capital investment” in the two homes and that if the residents are instead sent to the private Youth For Tomorrow facility in Bristow, the county will still have to pay for their treatment.
However, treatment at Youth For Tomorrow will be cheaper for the county than it is at the group homes, said Assistant County Executive Melissa Peacor. Plus, she said, it is likely that county staffers currently working in leased offices will be able to move into the group home buildings, thus saving rental costs.
The bottom line, said County Executive Craig Gerhart, is that the board is going to be making a lot of very painful decisions this year. The county staff is making recommendations in part by asking whether a service provided by the county is available elsewhere. In this case, he said, the answer is yes, since Youth For Tomorrow also provides homes for troubled teens.
“Absent the group homes, there will still be services available to all those kids,” Gerhart said. “They may get a less perfect service, but they will still get a service.”
In the coming months, he said, the board will be forced to eliminate services that won't be available elsewhere, leaving clients in the lurch. Those decisions, he said, will be a lot more painful than this one.
The supervisors are expected to cast a formal vote on the issue during their Feb. 3 meeting.
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